It\u2019s commonly accepted that as people live longer, so do their chances of getting a serious health condition like cancer. While that\u2019s still true, the incidence of some forms of cancer has become increasingly common in younger adults. Perhaps none more so than colorectal cancer, which is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men under age 50 and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in this age group.<\/p>\n
In fact, since the mid-1990s the incidence of colon cancer in people under 50 has increased about 2 percent annually.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe answer as to why this is happening is not 100 percent clear,\u201d says Shibu Oommen, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center \u2013 Plano medical staff. \u201cOur western diets of processed foods, higher fat content and lower fiber content along with environmental exposures and alterations in our gut microbiome may play roles, but there\u2019s no definitive answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stress, sedentary lifestyles and tobacco and alcohol use have also been tagged as potential contributors.<\/p>\n
Control What You Can Control<\/p>\n
The modern, tech-enabled lifestyle many younger adults lead may be contributing to the rise in colon cancer in this group. However, the advice to lower the risk of getting this type of cancer (any others) remains the same regardless of age:<\/p>\n
\n\tEat foods high in fiber like fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
\n\tLimit red meat and processed food consumption opting in favor of leaner meats like fish and chicken.
\n\tDon\u2019t smoke and limit drinking alcohol.
\n\tMaintain a healthy weight.
\n\tGet moving by taking a break from sitting throughout the day and getting regular exercise (even if it\u2019s just walking).
<\/p>\n
Beyond these steps, Dr. Oommen strongly adds this advice, \u201cGet screened no matter what modality is best for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting Screened<\/p>\n
Colonoscopy remains the gold standard in screening for colon cancer, as it allows gastroenterologists to identify and take tissue samples of any polyps in the colon to determine if they\u2019re cancerous. Due to the rising rates of colon cancer in younger adults, the recommended age to get an initial screening colonoscopy for those at average risk has been lowered from 50 to 45. However, colonoscopy isn\u2019t the only test available. Cologuard and fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) are non-invasive screening tools that can be considered as an alternative to colonoscopy in average risk patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertain genetic syndromes such as Lynch syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome would require even earlier screening, or if there\u2019s a family history of colon cancer,\u201d explains Dr. Oommen.<\/p>\n
The Sooner The Better<\/p>\n
Beyond getting routine recommended screenings, Dr. Oommen advises adults young and old not to dismiss certain symptoms. Instead, it\u2019s best to schedule a visit with their primary care provider or a gastroenterologist.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, with colon cancer, oftentimes there are no symptoms until disease is very advanced,\u201d he explains. When symptoms such as blood in bowel movements, persistent abdominal pain and unintentional weight loss do appear, it\u2019s critical to move fast to find the cause.<\/p>\n
Earlier detection allows for more effective treatment options, which is something people of any age can get behind.<\/p>\n
Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health\u2019s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of those medical centers or Baylor Scott & White Health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s commonly accepted that as people live longer, so do their chances of getting a serious health condition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[101039,101040,160,162,161],"class_list":["post-271710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-baylor-scottcolon-canceryounger-adultsshibu-oommen","tag-mdgastroenterologistsponsorednorth-texascollin-countylocal-news","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}