A new analysis from the American Cancer Society has found that colorectal cancer is now the leading cancer killer for people under 50 in the United States.
Becca Lynch of Denver, learned she had advanced colon cancer last year, when she was just 29 years old.
When the first symptoms appeared, Lynch thought it was just stress.
At first, she noticed her bowel movements had become very narrow – almost “pencil thin”; she was also going to the bathroom much more often, sometimes five or six times a day.
Later on, she began seeing dark blood during nearly every bowel movement.
Lynch later came across a video from Cass Costley, who talked about having many of the same symptoms; she was later diagnosed with colon cancer.
After hearing that story, Lynch finally decided to make an appointment with a doctor.
Even so, she delayed getting a colonoscopy for several months. When the test was finally done, doctors told her she had stage 3B colon cancer.
Rebecca Siegel, the lead author of the analysis and senior director of cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, said Lynch’s story is very common.
Siegel explained that roughly three-quarters of patients under 50 already have advanced colorectal cancer when they are diagnosed.
There are a couple of reasons for this; younger adults are not routinely screened with colonoscopies, and many people dismiss the early symptoms because of their young age.
Unfortunately, many people just assume rectal bleeding is caused by hemorrhoids; it’s usually the first thing that comes up when you search the symptom online.
Costley, whose video encouraged Lynch to finally see a doctor, has since died from the condition.
Siegel says anyone who notices rectal bleeding that lasts longer than a couple of weeks should get checked by a medical professional as soon as possible.
People who are not experiencing symptoms can still take screening tests such as the FIT test or Cologuard; these tests can help detect warning signs of cancer without requiring a colonoscopy.
Among younger people, however, the disease has climbed dramatically; it has moved from the fifth leading cause of cancer death to the number one spot.
Researchers are still trying to understand why diagnoses are increasing in younger age groups. Some experts suspect shifts in diet may be a factor.
For example, higher consumption of processed meats, heavily processed foods, and meals packaged in plastic could play a role.
Risk levels also vary between populations. For instance, Alaska Native communities have the highest recorded death rates from colorectal cancer compared with other groups.
