High colorectal cancer rates in Acadiana
A team of scientists from the Tulane and LSU schools of medicine and public health studied the population of French-speaking Acadians in Louisiana and found one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the United States. (Photo by Lee Celano)
Researchers have found a link between colorectal cancer and Louisiana"s Cajun population, and are now investigating the cause.
Whites, particularly white men, in the Louisiana Acadian parishes those in which French is commonly spoken have colorectal cancer rates that are among the highest in the United States, according to a research study published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology.
“If a mutation associated with disease is introduced into the founder population, this can lead to an unusually high frequency of the disease.”—Dr. Jordan Karlitz
“Rates of colorectal cancer increased in parallel with the proportion of French speakers, a marker for parishes with higher numbers of those with Cajun ancestry,” said lead author Dr. Jordan Karlitz, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine.
A leading hypothesis of the team for this high rate of cancer is that it is genetic, although an environmental cause is also possible. If it is genetic in nature, it may be an instance of the “founder effect.” A “founder population” is a distinct new population that has descended from an original, larger population.
The Cajuns migrated in the 1700s from France first to Canada, then Louisiana where they settled in the state"s Acadian parishes.
“Founder populations are important to study as cancer susceptibility genes, potentially novel, may be discovered that may be important not only for the population in question, but for others worldwide who may share a similar remote ancestry,” Karlitz said.
“Further studies are planned to gather additional data to examine both genetic and environmental factors that may be playing a role in the high colorectal cancer rates in the region,” Karlitz said. “In addition, as the current study is population-based, more detailed study is needed to determine if the colorectal cancer risk is concentrated in the Cajun population specifically.”
Karlitz recently won the American College of Gastroenterology Governor"s Award for Excellence in Clinical Research for his research on screening for Lynch Syndrome (a hereditary form of colon cancer) in Louisiana.
