Colorectal cancer is rising among young adults, and knowing the warning signs and your family history could save your life.
The deaths of cultural icons like Chadwick Boseman, James Van Der Beek, and others have brought the increase in colorectal cancer in young people to the public’s attention. Unexpectedly, colorectal cancer is now the top cause of cancer deaths for men and women under the age of 50 in the United States; this milestone happened four years before it was expected to in 2030.
While age is a significant risk factor for colorectal cancer, this cancer can happen to anyone, even young people. That’s why it’s important to understand your family history and other risk factors, and also when to get screened on time.
In younger patients, symptoms can often be missed or mistaken for another less serious health issue, like hemorrhoids or other digestive diseases, delaying diagnosis. As a result, young patients are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage when the disease is harder to treat. Understanding the signs and symptoms can help catch this cancer earlier, when it’s easier to treat.
Symptoms to look out for
Some symptoms may be easy to miss and may also mirror other health issues. If you notice one or more of these signs or symptoms, it is important to talk to a doctor:
- Blood in the stool or bleeding from the rectum
- Changes in the stool (it should be medium-brown, smooth, and not too soft or too hard); black or very dark stool can signal issues inside the colon
- Change in bowel habits, like diarrhea for more than three days or constipation lasting longer than two weeks
- Feeling very tired or weak, which can be caused by iron deficiency (anemia) or internal bleeding
- Losing weight without trying or a drop in energy level for no apparent reason
- Ongoing cramps or low back pain that has no other clear cause
- Feeling bloated or like you need to go to the bathroom, even when you don’t
Sometimes colorectal patients experience no symptoms at all. This is why regular, on-time screening is important, especially if you’re over 45 or have a family history of colorectal cancer.
Approximately 25% of people with colorectal cancer have a family history or a genetic condition that increases the risk of developing polyps, colorectal cancer, and other possible cancers. Knowing your family’s cancer history can help you and your doctor determine when colorectal cancer screening should begin. If a first-degree family member (i.e., parent, sibling, or child) has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and certain kinds of polyps, screening should begin 10 years earlier than when they were diagnosed.
