Furthermore, the study revealed that DNA mutations account for approximately 15 percent of mutations found in the tumor-suppressing APC gene in colorectal cancer, which are some of the earliest genetic changes that can directly promote cancer development.
“If someone acquires one of these driver mutations by the time they’re 10 years old,” Alexandrov said, “they could be decades ahead of schedule for developing colorectal cancer, getting it at age 40 instead of 60.”
What are the symptoms to be aware of?
Although some people could have colon cancer and dont know it , others may experience blood in their stool, diarrhea, fatigue, rectal bleeding, constipation, abdominal pain, a change in bowel habits and unexplained weight loss.
Coloractal polyps that grow in the colon or rectum can turn into cancer if not removed.
If you are experiencing a symptom, it does not mean you have colorectal cancer. But, you should see a doctor.
“If anyone has any change in their bowel habits, if they have any bleeding — even if they think it’s a hemorrhoid, and it doesn’t go away — just get a colonoscopy,” Yale Medicine colorectal. surgeon Dr. Vikram Reddy advised.
Why are colorectal cancer rates rising in young people?
Young people are often diagnosed with more advanced cancers due to delays in detection.
“If you’re 39 and you’re having these symptoms, you’re not thinking, ‘I have colon cancer,’” Dr, Sarama, chief of colorectal surgery at UC San Diego said. “You’re thinking, ‘I ate something. I’m working too hard.’ If you’re tired and you’re stressed out, you’re thinking, ‘It’ll go away.’ People are presenting later because they’re just not attributing their symptoms to something that could be serious.”
But, doctors have also singled out other contributing factors, including excess body weight, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, a high intake of red or processed meat, and other environmental factors.
How do I protect myself?
People may reduce their risk of colorectal cancer by limiting their high rate of alcohol consuption, keeping a healthy diet and increasing their physical activity.
Srennings also play an important role in finding any precancerous polyps before they turn into cancer.
Federal health officials say people should get screened starting at age 45, although there are questions about whether it should be lowered to 40. Those with a family history of colorectal cancer may need to get checked even earlier. Although, screening comes with its own risk as some medical machines have been linked to higher cancer rates.
There are some disparities to be aware of – Black Americans are 15 percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer and 35 percent more likely to die from it than white Americans.
But, there’s still a lot to learn.
“We don’t understand a lot about the causes, the biology, or how to prevent early onset of the disease,” Phil Daschner, a program director in NCI’s Division of Cancer Biology said, “And that’s important to learn more about because it may affect [approaches for] the treatment and survivorship of early-onset colon cancer.”
