Epic Research Links Low AST and ALT Under 14 to 65%-68% Higher Early-Onset Colon Cancer Risk
Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 9
Epic Research Links Low AST and ALT Under 14 to 65%-68% Higher Early-Onset Colon Cancer Risk
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 9
Summary
More than 11,000 U.S. adults ages 18 to 44 were analyzed, and those with AST or ALT below 14 were more likely to be diagnosed with Colorectal cancer within a year of testing.
AST below 14 was tied to a 65% higher likelihood of diagnosis and ALT below 14 to 68% higher, while AST or ALT at 30 or above were associated with 22% and 29% lower likelihood, respectively.
Rising enzyme levels over the prior three years also tracked with lower likelihood of cancer—27% for AST and 26% for ALT—while triglycerides, cholesterol and potassium showed no association.
Doctors said the findings are exploratory, not peer-reviewed proof of causation, and should not change screening guidance or prompt younger adults with low-normal liver enzymes to seek colonoscopy on that basis alone.
The signal matters because colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in Americans under 50, but average-risk screening in the United States still begins at age 45.