Here in Baltimore, Orioles player Trey Mancini He announced in April that he is fighting stage 3 colon cancer.. He is still 28 years old.
Doctors say these high-profile cases are just examples of alarming trends, as young people have been diagnosed with illness.
People under the age of 45 are still a minority of cases of colon cancer, but doctors say the rate is rising at an alarming rate.
“It was a shock and a shock. None of our family has ever experienced it,” said Marsi Cook.
Cook was just 37 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. With Mancini Actor Chadwick Bozeman lost to the fight on the weekend of 43..
“You just have to look out of the box and get young people to screen more for this deadly disease,” Cook said.
Dr. Joshua Wolf, a colorectal surgeon at LifeBridge Health, says the proportion of young people with colon cancer has increased by 2% per year for over 10 years. No one knows why, but he agrees that screening is the best way to detect early.
“Early colorectal cancer, that is, when it is small and when it has not spread, it is picked up when it has a large prognosis. Unfortunately it is difficult to treat and prognosis if it is discovered later. Is not so good,” said Wolf.
The American Cancer Society recommends colonoscopies from the age of 45, but earlier if there is a family history or symptoms. They include rectal bleeding, unexplained abdominal pain, stool changes, and unexplained weight loss.
In the absence of symptoms, people at average risk can start with a home stool test kit.
“It’s fine from the beginning, but if anything positive is what colonoscopy is really needed for,” Wolf said.
Cook has undergone surgery and chemotherapy, but after 12 years he is still cancer free. Her sister is currently at high risk and is regularly tested.
Her advice is to know your body, follow your instinct, and take yourself to a doctor.
“If they say “Don’t worry about it”, you have to push it and say, “This isn’t right, this isn’t me” and speak up for yourself and become a defender .. “The above.
For more information on colorectal cancer and screening, click here..
