1 Father remembers early symptoms

For many years, colon cancer has been on the rise in younger people for unknown reasons. Cancer deaths in the United States are decreasing overall, but a new report from the American Cancer Society shows that increases in colon cancer and some other cancers threaten to reverse that trend. It’s highlighted.

In the late 1990s, colorectal cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer death for men and women under the age of 50. new data Currently, it is the number one cause of death from cancer in men under 50 years of age, second only to cancer. breast cancer For women of the same age.

“Cancer patients are increasingly transitioning from older adults to middle-aged adults with longer life expectancies, thereby increasing their chances of experiencing late effects of subsequent cancer-containing treatments,” the study authors wrote. ing.

“The continued rapid increase in colorectal cancer among young Americans is alarming,” said the study’s senior author and senior vice president for surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society. Dr. Ahmedin Jemal said in a press release. He called for increased screening for people aged 45 to 49, particularly those with a genetic predisposition to colon cancer.

“As the incidence of many common cancers continues to increase, including breast, prostate, and endometrial cancers, as well as colorectal and cervical cancers among some young people, We’ve cut corners in cancer prevention,” senior Rebecca Siegel added. said in a press release, the American Cancer Society’s scientific director of surveillance research and lead author of the report.

In particular, the increase in colorectal cancer may be due to factors such as: processed food, higher rates of alcohol consumption and obesity, and more sedentary lifestyles, Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, told TODAY.com. But something else, more elusive, may be involved.

“At the very least, these may be contributing to this problem. There are more men with colorectal cancer than women,” Dahat says. “It’s at least possible that this is also due to an unbalanced diet or obesity and lack of exercise.”

When Carmen Sussman, 47, experienced bladder problems, doctors suspected he had kidney stones. An ultrasound of his kidneys revealed an unexpected diagnosis. It turned out that there was a mass in his liver. Further tests revealed that it was not liver cancer, but stage 4 colorectal cancer.

“I felt great when I got the diagnosis. My wife and I were working out together every day. I had all kinds of energy. I was happy. I felt great,” Cleveland said. Sussman, a stay-at-home dad, told TODAY.com. “Then they punch me in the chest and tell me I have cancer. I thought, ‘How could I get cancer if I feel so good?’ ”

Urinary problems lead to unexpected diagnoses

Sussman found himself feeling: Urinary urgency But I couldn’t. He visited a urologist to figure out what was going on, but the doctor thought he needed to get an ultrasound to look for kidney stones. Scans revealed he had horseshoe kidneys. This is a condition in which the two kidneys are fused at the bottom and may be asymptomatic. More worryingly, there was a mass in his liver, so doctors ordered an MRI to learn more.

“One nurse said, ‘We see things like this all the time.’ When people come in, there could be a lump of fat there. They’re going to be okay.” Sussman says. “After the MRI, they found out. … Her demeanor completely changed and I was just devastated walking outside that day. I knew something was wrong. Ta.”

At first, doctors thought it was liver cancer.

“It’s almost the end,” he says. “That’s what I thought for about three weeks before I started meeting with some doctors: I had one to two years left to live.”

However, doctors knew that primary liver cancer was rare; Colonoscopy was performedThen a tumor was found in my rectum. (When he was diagnosed, he still couldn’t schedule his first colonoscopy).

“They were like, ‘Okay, you don’t have liver cancer.’ It’s rectal cancer, and here’s the plan: We’re going to do radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and curative surgery,” he recalls. “I was like, ‘Can you say that again?’ Can you please get back to the core?’ I really want to move on, thinking I have another year with my kids and my wife.” Now.”

Sussman’s cancer had spread to her liver. Still, he was surprised that doctors thought it was curable. He received short-term radiation therapy, a targeted treatment for five consecutive days. Then he started chemotherapy.

“Your body quickly starts to wear down and your mood starts to change,” Sussman says.

Two weeks later, he started vomiting bile and was rushed to the emergency room. Sussman had a blockage in his intestines that needed to be removed immediately.

“I had to have emergency surgery and they did it. colostomy bag Because I was so backed up,” he says. “That delayed my chemotherapy. It delayed my surgery. So it made me want to do whatever I could to not delay anything else.”

Symptoms of colorectal cancer in young patients

Once considered a cancer of the elderly, the number of young people diagnosed with colon cancer has increased dramatically since the 1990s. March 2023 Report from the American Cancer Society Researchers found that nearly twice as many people under the age of 55 were diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019 compared to 1995 (20% vs. 11%).

“In the 1990s, only one in five people under the age of 55 was diagnosed with colorectal cancer,” Dahat says. “This is a big change in a relatively short period of time.”

Dr. David Liska, director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Juvenile Colorectal Cancer Center, said the reason for the increase is unclear.

“The simple answer is we don’t fully understand why it’s happening,” he told TODAY.com. “We know it’s happening, and it’s been happening consistently for at least the last 20 years. And it’s happening throughout the Western world.”

“If the current pace continues, by 2030 the incidence of colon cancer among young adults, people under 50, will double, and for rectal cancer it will actually quadruple. ” says Professor Liska. “Probably both environmental and host-related factors are interacting.”

Still, we don’t fully understand why diet, lack of exercise, and obesity increase infection rates.

“There are many patients who are young, healthy, and fit and yet are at risk of developing colorectal cancer,” Liska says. “So this isn’t all there is to it.”

Common symptoms of colon cancer include:

For some people, the stigma against sharing gut symptoms may prevent them from coming forward to their doctor.

“Patients don’t necessarily report symptoms,” Liska said. “It’s a topic that people have a hard time talking about.”

when to get tested

Experts say colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can be detected and detected early even when it’s precancerous. Therefore, screening with colonoscopy remains essential. Starting at age 45, you should have a colonoscopy.

Another reason screening is important is that it’s “common” for some patients to have no symptoms, Liska said, adding, “(younger patients) are usually diagnosed by a colonoscopy. ” he added.

A colonoscopy also gives your doctor a chance to remove any precancerous polyps they find.

“The majority of polyps found during a colonoscopy are removed on the spot during the colonoscopy,” Liska says. “(We) stop the progression of polyps and prevent cancer.”

The American Cancer Society, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), and the American College of Radiology all recommend that people at average risk for colon cancer (no family history) begin screening at age 45. .

However, guidance regarding colon cancer screening can be confusing. There are several ways to screen for colon cancer, including stool tests and colorectal cancer tests. colonoscopydifferent expert groups have different guidance on when to get tested based on risk.

for example, Published by the American College of Physicians In July 2023, “average risk adults” who have not experienced symptoms of colon cancer will be able to get tested until they are 50 years old.and October 2022 Survey It caused an uproar by concluding that colonoscopies were associated with little reduction in mortality risk (though the data actually told a more complicated story, experts told TODAY.com at the time). Ta).

The cornerstone of colon cancer screening is talking to your doctor about your own risk for colon cancer and working with you to decide when to start, says Cedrek McFadden, M.D., a board-certified colorectal surgeon. Most insurance policies tend to follow the USPSTF initiative, which covers colon cancer testing for average-risk patients starting at age 45.

If you have symptoms of colon cancer or are at high risk for colon cancer, you may need to start testing before age 45. But again, talk to your healthcare provider.

Recovery from colorectal cancer

After doctors addressed the intestinal blockage, Sussman resumed treatment and underwent surgery to remove rectal and liver tumors in July 2022.

“There were no liver metastases,” he says. “Before the surgery, there was nothing left in the tumor.”

Sussman’s lymph node and blood tests showed no signs of further cancer. In November 2022, they replaced his ileostomy and he no longer needs a colostomy bag.

“We’re starting to get back to normal life. I’m living a normal life. Physically, I have energy levels. I’m able to run around with my kids again and exercise.”

Sussman finds it a little difficult to deal with the emotions of having cancer.

“When you’re doing these scans and blood tests, it’s a reminder about every other month that something could go wrong,” he says. “Something might change.”

He encourages his loved ones to keep getting colonoscopies.

“There’s almost a stigma in any kind of conversation about it,” Sussman says. “If you don’t have symptoms, get a colonoscopy at age 45. If you have more significant abnormalities, get tested.”

His experience with cancer changed his outlook on life. I used to put goals on my bucket list on the back burner, thinking I had plenty of time to accomplish them. Now he’s seizing the moment.

“You can’t go out and buy time, but I feel like I’ve been gifted time,” he says. “A lot of people don’t understand that.”

This article was first published today.com