Colon cancer on the rise in young adults | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

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07/18/23

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Although 90 percent of the cases of the disease occur in people over the age of 50, studies show colorectal cancer is on the rise in younger patients. Emily learned she had colon cancer at age 31. Here, she talks about her diagnosis, and Dana-Farber's Charles Fuchs, MD, MPH, explains the importance of discussing symptoms with your doctor. For more on colon cancer screening and treatment, visit http://www.dana-farber.org/Adu....lt-Care/Treatment-an

Transcription:

Emily: In comes the gastroenterologist with this awful look on his face, and he said, “Well, we found an enormous tumor.

Reporter: For Emily Collins, the tumor turned out to be colon cancer. At only 31 years old, the newlywed was focused on starting a new life with her husband, Greg. Instead, she started months of chemotherapy, radiation, and then major surgery to treat the disease.

Emily: I felt perfectly healthy. I had no idea that I had advanced-stage cancer growing inside of me. It’s… It was really completely out of the blue.

Reporter: Although 90% of cases occur in people over the age of 50, studies show colon cancer rates in younger patients are on the rise. Dr. Charles Fuchs is a colon cancer expert at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He says common symptoms of the disease are often mistaken for other medical issues.

Dr. Fuchs: What the American Cancer Society will warn us is that blood in the stool, change in bowel habits, abdominal discomfort—those things are, of course, warning signs for colorectal cancer. Now, admittedly those things can arise for reasons totally unrelated to cancer, so one shouldn’t conclude that if you have any of those symptoms that you have colon cancer, but you should bring it to the attention of your primary care physician who can make an assessment and decide whether further evaluation is needed.

Reporter: With obesity a major risk factor colon cancer, Dr. Fuchs says it’s important to stay in shape. He says you should also limit eating red meat no more than two times a week and limit the number of alcoholic drinks to no more than one a day. Studies also show aspirin and Vitamin D can help prevent colon cancer. As for Emily, the focus now is finishing treatment and staying healthy.

Emily: I am so grateful for every day that I feel OK. I am so grateful to be alive, that sort of facing that kind of stress really does make you value the things that you have.

Reporter: At Dana-Farber Cancer Insitute in Boston, I’m [Ann Door 00:02:04] reporting.