“I saw several doctors before my diagnosis,” said Jenna Scott. “I stressed my recurring and worsening symptoms, but they thought I was too young. You’re never too young.”
Scott has young-onset colorectal cancer, meaning she was diagnosed under 50, and she sits on the Never Too Young Taskforce run by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. The group says her story is common. Many patients describe months, sometimes years, of pushing for an accurate diagnosis.
The numbers behind it are hard. Rates of young-onset colorectal cancer keep climbing, and in this age group it is now the deadliest cancer, according to the Alliance. Three out of four young patients are diagnosed at a later stage, when the disease is tougher to treat.
Nobody knows why more young people are getting it. “We don’t know for sure why young-onset colorectal cancer rates are rising,” said Michael Sapienza, the Alliance’s CEO, “but we do know that some young patients’ symptoms are missed, concerns are dismissed, and there is a dangerous lack of awareness.”
What the Alliance is doing
The taskforce brings together patients, survivors, caregivers and experts. It focuses on awareness and advocacy. A second program, Project Cure CRC, pushes research, including an adaptive clinical trial platform meant to match patients with newer treatments faster. The Alliance is putting both in the spotlight in August, World Cancer Support Month.
Symptoms worth reporting
Colorectal cancer does not always cause symptoms. When it does, the Alliance lists these:
- Blood in or on the stool, which can look bright red or make the stool black and tarry
- New or lasting diarrhea or constipation, or narrower stools
- Ongoing cramping, gas or bloating, or a feeling that the bowel is not fully empty
- Weight loss with no obvious cause, or heavy tiredness
Its advice is to see a doctor about any of these at any age, and to get a second opinion if your concerns are brushed aside. It also asks people to learn the risk factors, know their family history and any genetic factors, and keep asking questions until they get answers.
Free help is available. The Alliance runs a helpline staffed by cancer care navigators at (877) 422-2030, a short screening quiz at getscreened.org that helps people work out when to get checked, and online groups and a buddy program for young-onset patients.
