In recent years, colorectal cancer has been upending the lives of younger people at disturbing rates, becoming the second most common type of cancer in people under age 50 in the U.S. today. By 2030, colorectal cancer deaths are expected to double, and the disease is predicted to jump to the leading cause of cancer death in 20- to 49-year-olds.
What’s causing this alarming increase and what can younger people do to reduce their risk?
Listen to the episode:
On this episode of Health Science Radio, we talk about the increasing numbers of younger patients who are being diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer. We also discuss the epidemiological factors behind it, the age groups being affected, symptoms people should be paying attention to, preventative screening options, and where the research is going to try to reverse this alarming trend.
Our guest is Swati Patel, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk and Prevention Center, where she cares for patients at high risk for cancer. Patel is also a member of the CU Cancer Center and staff physician at the Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
On the screening front, Patel advises patients to pay close attention to not just whether family members have experienced colon cancer, but also to what their family members’ colonoscopy results show. Data show that patients with a first-degree family member with an advanced polyp have the same risk of getting colon cancer as having a first-degree family member who had colon cancer.
“I know this is an uncomfortable conversation for some, but it’s really important, and if there’s any question about whether polyps were removed and whether they’re the advanced kind or not … take photos to show those to your doctor,” Patel said. “Because patients with a family history of advanced polyps qualify for screening earlier and more frequently.”
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