According to a report published by The American Cancer Society, colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 and the second most deadly cancer for women under 50
Colon cancer is on the rise among young people under 50 – but there are multiple warning signs no one will ever talk about.
According to a report published earlier this year by The American Cancer Society, colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 and the second most deadly cancer for women under 50 in the US. Experts are calling for betting screening in younger people amid fears patients are too scared to talk about their symptoms, which can include blood in stools, abdominal cramps and alterations in bowel habits. The data, which was based on 80 different studies, involved almost 25 million patients under the age of 50. It found that in 45% of cases, blood in stools was an initial symptom, followed by abdominal cramps, which was 40% of cases, and changes in bowel movements, 27% of cases.
Joshua Demb, a graduate student in gastroenterology at the University of California, San Diego who led the team, said it took patients too long to receive a diagnosis despite these symptoms. “The time from sign or symptom presentation to early onset colorectal cancer diagnosis was often between 4 and 6 months,” he said. Dr Folasade May, a cancer prevention researcher and gastroenterologist at UCLA Health in Los Angeles, called the findings “alarming.” “Since 1995, there has been a 45% increase in colorectal cancer diagnoses in people under the age of 50,” she added.
It comes as experts issue a warning to young adults that bowel cancer “is not simply a disease affecting older people.” Researcher and associate professor Yin Cao ScD said: “Colorectal cancer is not simply a disease affecting older people; we want younger adults to be aware of and act on these potentially very telling signs and symptoms – particularly because people under 50 are considered to be at low risk, and they don’t receive routine colorectal cancer screening.”
“It’s also crucial to spread awareness among primary care doctors, gastroenterologists and emergency medicine doctors,” Dr Cao said. “To date, many early-onset colorectal cancers are detected in emergency rooms, and there often are significant diagnostic delays with this cancer.” Dr Cao said two symptoms in particular – rectal bleeding and iron deficiency anaemia, a blood condition causing tiredness and pale skin – mean patients should immediately see their doctor and ask for an endoscopy.
Symptoms to look out for
According to the NHS, these are the symptoms you should look out for.
- Changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
- Needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
- Blood in your poo, which may look red or black
- Bleeding from your bottom
- Often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
- Tummy pain
- A lump in your tummy
- Bloating
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling very tired for no reason
