ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States when you combine the numbers of men and women.
It’s the cancer that killed Nancy Andretti’s husband, race car driver, John Andretti.
Watch Tampa Bay 28’s Larissa Scott’s full report
March is colorectal cancer awareness month: important symptoms to watch
“It really hit us out of left field and was really shocking and alarming. At the beginning it was stage one so we thought we got this, this is no problem,” Nancy said.
However, the cancer progressed quickly until it spread to John’s lung and liver.
Nancy told Tampa Bay 28 that her husband ate healthy, exercised, and had no family history of colon cancer.
“He was in that mode of taking care of his body so that he could perform at a high level. So he just, he didn’t get his colonoscopy on time,” Nancy said.
She said John did have a symptom he never told her about until after the cancer diagnosis.
“He had some blood in his urine but he did not express that to me beforehand or I would’ve definitely, you know, thrown a fit to get him in there for his colonoscopy,” Nancy said.
“But he didn’t think it was a big deal because it wasn’t every day, it wasn’t every week. It was sporadic so it was a month here then not for a month and then a couple of weeks it would be on.”
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She and her family are now on a mission to raise awareness about colorectal cancer, encouraging people to pay attention to their bodies.
“Those are the signs that you have to look for, those little nuances that you think are not a big deal that you need call your doctors,” Nancy said.
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be more 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer this year, causing 55,230 deaths.
Dr. J. Ryan Williams is a colorectal surgeon for Orlando Health in St. Petersburg, he told Tampa Bay 28 the rate of people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer has actually decreased a little over the years, mostly in older adults.
However, there’s been a concerning rise in this type of cancer in adults under 50.
Health experts aren’t sure why but they’re doing research right now, seeing in part if processed foods and microplastics are to blame.
Dr. Williams said being proactive is key.
Most recently the age for colorectal screenings has been reduced from 50 to 45 in people with an average risk but certain people may need a colonoscopy sooner.
“People that may be at higher risk either with family history or especially African Americans even are expected to start their screening five years earlier or if their family member was diagnosed 10 years before their age of diagnosis,” Dr. J. Ryan Williams said.
Some of the symptoms include:
BleedingChange in bowel habitsFeeling more bloatedAbdominal painWeight loss
“So one of the things that most people in their 30s and even in their early 40s, if they start getting bleeding, most of them will Google that and then it starts coming up with hemorrhoids,” Dr. J. Williams said.
“But we’re at that point now where we really can’t attribute it in young people to just hemorrhoids. It’s worth getting a colonoscopy, making sure that that’s the only cause of what’s causing the bleeding.”
Two of the best ways he believes that can potentially help prevent colon cancer are exercise and eating a Mediterranean diet.
“It’s high in fish, high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, things like that, legumes, which are beans,” Dr. J. Williams explained.
“Those things are great for you, increasing your fiber, making sure that the amount of time things sit in that bowel and in that colon reduces.”
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