Colorectal Session II
AB156. SOH26AB_0467. Social deprivation indices demonstrate a stronger correlation with epigenetic age compared to chronological age in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), particularly in stage IV disease
Ellen Boyle1, Aaron O’Mahony1, Aine Daly2, Umar Mahmood1, Carolyn Cullinane1, Ciara Ryan3, Eoghan Condon1, Grzegorz Korpanty3, Mazen El Bassiouni4, Emma McNamara1, Colin Peirce1, Michael O’Reilly2, Aedin Culhane5, John Calvin Coffey1, Christina Fleming1
1Department of Colorectal Surgery, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
2Department of Radiology, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
3Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
4Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
5Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Background: Social deprivation is associated with worse outcomes in colorectal cancer, but is less studied in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC). One hypothesis is that the social environment may accelerate aging (AA), which can be measured using epigenetic age (EpiAge). EpiAge is considered a more accurate marker of aging than age by birth and is calculated using a validated blood-based algorithm. It has been shown to correlate strongly with age in whole body tissue/cell testing and is considered a more accurate predictor of DNA methylation. This study aimed to examine the relationship between social deprivation with EpiAge and age by birth, to better understand why it is associated with worse outcomes in EOCRC.
Methods: EOCRC patients diagnosed in the Mid-West of Ireland from 2015 to 2024 (inclusive) were included. EpiAge was calculated using a validated blood-based algorithm. Social deprivation was classified using the Pobal HP Deprivation Index. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used depending on data distribution, and significance was observed at P<0.05.
Results: Data on 114 patients were analysed (n=65 colon, n=49 rectal). Social deprivation correlated with EpiAge stronger than age by birth in EOCRC (r=0.97, P=0.009; r=0.09, P=0.3). EpiAge correlated stronger with social deprivation indices in colon cancer compared to rectal cancer (r=0.80, P=0.02; r=0.15, P=0.23). This relationship was also stronger in stage IV disease (r=0.7, P=0.007; r=0.49, P=0.15) compared to those treated with curative intent.
Conclusions: EpiAge correlates strongly with social deprivation in EOCRC, demonstrating biological evidence of accelerated aging in this cohort as a potential aetiology and explanation of its prognostic ability.
Keywords: Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC); rectal cancer; ageing; accelerated ageing; prognostic factors
Acknowledgments
None.
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
doi: 10.21037/map-26-ab156
Cite this abstract as: Boyle E, O’Mahony A, Daly A, Mahmood U, Cullinane C, Ryan C, Condon E, Korpanty G, El Bassiouni M, McNamara E, Peirce C, O’Reilly M, Culhane A, Coffey JC, Fleming C. AB156. SOH26AB_0467. Social deprivation indices demonstrate a stronger correlation with epigenetic age compared to chronological age in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), particularly in stage IV disease. Mesentery Peritoneum 2026;10:AB156.
