Routine blood tests may reveal early colorectal cancer risk in adults under 45

For decades, colorectal cancer was understood as a disease that arrived late in life, and medicine built its vigilance accordingly. Now, as cases among adults under 45 continue to rise, researchers have found a quiet signal already present in routine blood work — low levels of two common liver enzymes, AST and ALT, may correlate with elevated risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. The discovery does not yet change clinical practice, but it suggests that the tools for earlier detection may already be in hand, waiting only for the wisdom to read them.