Study suggests reason for red meat’s colorectal cancer risk
Red meat consumption has been consistently linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer and a new study provides a mechanistic reason.
The study published in Cancer Discovery has identified for the first time an alkylating mutational signature in colon cells and linked it to red meat consumption.
The findings suggest that red meat consumption may cause alkylating damage that leads to cancer-causing mutations in KRAS and PIK3CA, thereby promoting colorectal cancer development, say the US researchers.
“Our data further support red meat intake as a risk factor for colorectal cancer and also provide opportunities to prevent, detect and treat this disease,” said author Dr Marios Giannakis with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
