Colon cancer in young adults: what should you know?

He bowel cancer It is one of the most common and is usually among the five causes of death per year, and its symptomsthey generally do not appear in the initial phase diseasewhen they do, it is in an advanced stage.

In the United States, according to data from American Cancer Societythe diagnosis yearly Colon canceras it is also known, it has decreased since the 1980s, mainly because people have undergone examinations and changes related to Lifestyle.

The reduction is not the only change, and greater number of diagnoses in young adults in advanced stages of the disease in the last decade, therefore the importance of recognizing symptoms is highlighted.

dr. Johanna Chan, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, said knowing the symptoms is valuable in seeking timely medical caresince “everyone is at risk, at any age.”

The recommendation of experts, the United States Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society, is that people with a moderate risk (family history, intestinal diseases, diabetes, obesity, alcohol consumption or smoking) start practicing screening tests of 45 years.

Chan assured that often the age of detection is below 55 yearsbut unfortunately colon cancer is diagnosed in very advanced stages in young patients.

He constant stomach problems and unexplained weight loss They can be symptoms of colon cancer. “In fact, many of the warning symptoms, such as rectal bleeding, anemia, change in bowel habits, are very common symptoms that occur in all age groups,” Chan explained.

Most healthy young patients presenting rectal bleeding They won’t have colon cancer, but it’s still on the list of possible diagnoses, so you should seek medical attention if you have any of these symptoms.

It is worth mentioning that many of these symptoms are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, which is why a medical equipment could identify the cause.

Panama

It has been in the city for the last decade (2012-2022), according to the data National Cancer Institute Hospital Cancer RegistryColon cancer is in the fourth port of trends of the most frequent location in both sexes of registered cases, with a total of 2911.

In 2022, 330 cases were recorded, but since 2016 statistics The rest are above 250 cases, except for 2020, with 247.