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Apr 18

Diet, lifestyle play role as colon cancer jumps in young – The Times of Northwest Indiana

Diet Comments Off on Diet, lifestyle play role as colon cancer jumps in young – The Times of Northwest Indiana

Jane Ammeson Times correspondent

Dr. Shishin Yamada, colorectal surgeon at of Silver Cross Hospital, notes the symptoms that should prompt a checkup for colon cancer.

Four years ago, the death of 43-year-old actor Chadwick Boseman who starred in Black Panther among other movies,was stunning. It also brought tolight that colorectal cancer wasnt just a disease for those 55 and older.

The American Cancer Society reports that the number of people younger than 55 diagnosed with colorectal cancer (which includes cancers of the colon and rectum) doubled to 20% (1 in 5) in 2019 from 11% (1 in 10) in 1995.

Colon cancer is on the rise, including a surge in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and it is predicted that around 20,000 diagnoses, and nearly 4,000 deaths from advanced colon cancer occur in people younger than 50, says Dr. Shishin Yamada, a board-certified general surgeon at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. According to the American College of Surgeons, colon cancer has moved up to the No. 1 cause of cancer death in men and No. 2 in women (after breast cancer in women younger than 50), where just 20 years ago colon cancer was No. 4 4 cause in the 1990s.

The reasons for this uptick aren't clear but some of the same causes of colon cancer in older adults are likely at work.

Diets high in red meats, processed foods, fats and fried foods as well as those low in fiber are considered risk factors, says Bethany Wignall, an oncology nurse navigator at the Methodist Hospitals Oncology Institute.

Heavy alcohol use and smoking and lack of fruits and vegetables in a diet also may increase risk, she continues.

Other risk factors include adenomatous or pre-cancerous polyps, a history of colorectal cancer and/or inherited conditions.

Lynch syndrome is the most common hereditary condition, says Wignall. Its linked to 2-4% of all colorectal cancers. The lifetime risk of colorectal cancer in people with Lynch syndrome is between 10-80%.

Environmental factors may come into play as well. The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health,has identified 18 chemicals that cause cancer in the intestines of mice or rats. These chemicals might damage DNA and thus lead to harmful mutations in colon and rectal cells.

A new study by researchers at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Center in Seattle have discovered a link between a microbe found in the mouth and a more aggressive colon cancer. In 200 people studied, the microbe was present in 50% of the patients. Testing for the microbe can result in earlier screening and improved treatments, the researchers note.

One thing is clear, it is not just genetics. There are many more cases out-of-the-blue occurring sporadically in those under 50, says Shishin.

Screening and lifestyle changes are the best way to prevent colorectal cancer or catch it early, when it is much more likely to be successfully treated.

Shishin says that young people, like everyone else, need to communicate and see a doctor for such symptoms as rectal bleeding, blood in their stools and/or blood in the toilet after a bowel movement.

Other signs to look for include unusual looking stools.

Digested blood, if it's had time to go through your bowel, may have the iron stripped out, and then it looks more like iron ore, dark or black stools, he says. Sometimes a tumor may compress the stool passing by, like a pasta-maker, so talk to your doctors if you notice narrow, thin or ribbon pasta like stools.

Diarrhea and constipation (fewer than three bowel movements per week) can indicate a problem particularly if these conditions last more than two weeks. Low energy and/or feelings of being more tired than usual can indicate a slow and chronic blood loss that may also be a symptom of colorectal cancer.

Even if you are a young woman with chronic anemia that you assume is due to menstrual bleedings, it's not a bad idea to check for other causes, says Shishin. Obstruction and pain are late symptoms, so many early colon cancers may not feel much wrong if at all. Your most reliable symptom checker is yourself and to communicate these symptoms with your doctor.

As a result of this significant increase in colon cancer, 45 is the new 50 to begin colorectal cancer screening, says Wignall, noting that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its colorectal screening recommendation in 2021. Screening earlier may moderately increase life-years gained and decrease colorectal cancer cases and deaths compared with beginning screening at age 50, she says.

Shishin notes that the colonoscopy is what's considered a gold standard test, a test that works great and has withstood the test of time.

It's been the gold standard for 50 years now, he says of the outpatient procedure that involves a small flexible fiberoptic camera on a tube inserted in the rectum while the patient is under light anesthesia. We look at the walls of the colon for abnormalities and can take samples and remove lesions.

If cancer is discovered, treatment depends upon its stage and can include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy.

Paying attention to any symptoms, communicating with your doctor and knowing that colorectal cancer is surging are all necessary steps that, according to Shishin, just might save your life.

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Diet, lifestyle play role as colon cancer jumps in young - The Times of Northwest Indiana

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