Colon Cancer is on the Rise Among Young Adults

The month of March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month.  For those who do not know, I myself have had surgery because I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I was shocked because I thought I had a good diet and exercise almost every day.  The symptoms were there but I just passed it off as normal.  It is too late to regret not getting a colonoscopy earlier in my life.  But  I do suggest to anyone reading my blog to get checked out by age 45. You are not to young to get colon cancer! My son's doctor suggested he get his first colonoscopy when he turns 30 because his mother had it.

According to a new report released today by the American Cancer Society, the diagnoses of people under 55 years of age with colorectal cancer (CRC) doubled from 11% (1 in 10) in 1995 to 20% (1 in 5) in 2019. Presenting at alarmingly high rates, there are 49 new cases of early onset CRC in adults under 50 every day. Overall, in 2023, an estimated 153,020 people will be diagnosed with CRC in the U.S. and 18,000 of those cases will be in younger adults.

Younger adults are more likely to ignore warning signs such as rectal bleeding, blood in the stool, changes in bowel pattern, bloating, cramping, weight loss without dieting and/or fatigue, and often don’t get screened. The misconception that colorectal cancer is an unlikely diagnosis can cause delays in screening, giving cancer time to progress and making young adults more likely than older adults to develop late stage colon or rectal cancer.