You might be thinking that you won’t have to get a colonoscopy until you’re 50. That’s reassuring, right?
Wrong. Recent trends indicate that you might need to get your intestines probed sooner than you think (sorry). Colorectal cancer, otherwise known as colon cancer, has been on the rise in young people for years now. Early last year, the American Cancer Society reported that about 20% of diagnoses in 2019 were in patients under 55, which is double the rate of diagnoses in 1995. In fact, in 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force changed its recommendation to start colon cancer screenings at age 45, not at age 50 as previously advised.
You might be wondering, “Maybe the rise is only due to increased screening!” After all, with how advanced technology has become, perhaps the uptick in diagnoses is due to people getting checked out by their doctor more frequently.
Or maybe not. Yale Medicine Colon and Rectal Surgery doctors report that more and more young people are coming to them for unusual symptoms in their bowel movements, such as bleeding, frequent abdominal pain, changes in stool, and fatigue.
While this might seem alarming, the good news is that early detection can greatly improve patient outcomes, and surgery can be highly successful, even for patients with advanced disease. Although a cancer diagnosis can be devastating, knowing your treatment options and working with a physician who has expertise in this area can greatly reduce the stress associated with navigating cancer.
No one knows for sure yet why there is such an increase in colorectal cancer, but there are some possibilities many medical professionals are considering, such as a more highly processed diet (might be a sign to put down those Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and other Red-40 snacks), increasingly sedentary lifestyle, rise of microplastics, shift in microbiota, and genetic factors.
Whatever the cause may be, doctors recommend as a general guideline to start incorporating fiber in your meals more intentionally and to ensure you’re staying hydrated. Avoid eating lots of highly processed foods, like chips or candy, that lack nutritional value and are chock-full of synthetic preservatives and dyes. Maintain an active lifestyle, and try not to sit for long periods of time. Trim down on substance use, like smoking and drinking—or just quit entirely. In particular, smoking not only increases your risk of colon cancer, but other cancers as well. Most importantly, visit your doctor if you start seeing some of the weird symptoms listed above with your bowel movements (that rectal bleeding you’re noticing might not be from hemorrhoids!). Don’t assume that you can’t get colon cancer – or any other cancer – just because you’re young. While nobody looks forward to getting a probe stuck up their rectum and manipulated around their large intestine, preventative measures are better to take than waiting until you have a tumor in your colon.
The statements in this report are not to be taken as medical advice. Seek your medical provider if you suspect you have colorectal cancer.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.