Colorectal Cancer and Young People
Read Time: 5 minutes
Alina Wilson first noticed she was tired. Not the usual kind of tired that comes with being a mother of one teenager and one almost teenager鈥攖his was something different. She would doze off while homeschooling her daughter, especially after eating. She struggled with shortness of breath on hikes with her family near their home in Lehi, Utah. And at the beginning of January 2022, she started to notice blood in her stool. That summer, she traveled to Texas to support her son in an athletic tournament.
鈥淥ne day I was using the bathroom, and there was a ton of blood. A lot of blood,鈥 says Alina. 鈥淎nd I just remember sitting there in the hotel being like, OK, when we get home, I have got to take care of this, because clearly something鈥檚 wrong.鈥
A colonoscopy confirmed what she had started to suspect.
鈥淭he doctor just said, 鈥楢lina, I鈥檝e got bad news. It looks like you have colon cancer,鈥欌 she says. 鈥淢y husband was in shock. It was one thing for me to say, 鈥業 think I have this.鈥 It鈥檚 another for the doctor to confirm it.鈥
Alina is one of an alarming number of patients under 50 being diagnosed with early-onset colorectal cancer. In 2020, the American Cancer Society cited the median age of colorectal cancer diagnosis as 66 in men and 69 in women. These older populations are seeing a decline in incidence rates. For those under 50, however, rates are increasing by 2.4% each year鈥攚ith devastating impacts.
As reported in JAMA Network Open, by the year 2040, colorectal cancer will be the second most common cancer for patients between 20 and 49. It will also be the most fatal cancer for the age group.
鈥淭his is becoming a global public health issue, not just in the United States,鈥 says Vaia Florou, MD, MS, physician-researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute and assistant professor of internal medicine at the 人妻中出视频 of Utah. 鈥淲e need to figure out what is happening that鈥檚 different in somebody who鈥檚 60 years old versus somebody who鈥檚 30.鈥
鈥淚f we can find out why this epidemic is happening, then we can develop better treatments.鈥
Vaia Florou, MD, MS
Florou says Huntsman Cancer Institute is facing this problem head-on, both in cancer care and research. She is spearheading a specialized clinic for these patients, known as the Huntsman Cancer Institute Integrated Center for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.
The new clinic is serving the unique needs of this population, including medical oncology, surgery, fertility preservation for those whose plans to have 人妻中出视频ren are put on hold for treatment, and psychosocial support.
鈥淭he goal is to optimize the treatment plan of these patients for best possible outcomes while aligning with their preferences and overall plans,鈥 says Florou. 鈥淭he clinic will also ultimately help us enhance our research abilities in this younger population. If we can find out why this epidemic is happening, then we can develop better treatments.鈥
ColoCare, an ongoing Huntsman Cancer Institute research study, is already in a prime position to uncover why colorectal cancer rates are on the rise. As part of the project, researchers collect biospecimens and data on colorectal patient health and outcomes.
鈥淥ur study population overall is 4,200 patients, and more than 1,000 are early-onset patients,鈥 says Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS, executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of population health sciences at the 人妻中出视频 of Utah. 鈥淐oloCare is the largest federally funded resource enabling research on the causes and implications of early-onset cancer.鈥
Ulrich, who is the lead investigator for ColoCare, says the rapid increase in earlyonset incidence suggests there is either an environmental or behavioral health factor contributing to the disease. Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute suggests that colorectal cancer is related to oxidative stress鈥攚hich leads to inflammation, DNA damage, and cancer.
But Ulrich also emphasizes that there is much more to learn about the disease and its effects on young patients than just figuring out why it is happening.
鈥淭he idea of cancer survivorship changes when patients are diagnosed at a younger age,鈥 says Ulrich. 鈥淚n younger people, we tend to use more aggressive treatments. This has potential for long-term toxicities. We also want to be mindful of and try to understand how early-onset colorectal cancer has an impact on younger patients鈥 careers, financial health, and social connections.鈥
鈥淲e want to be mindful of and try to understand how early-onset colorectal cancer has an impact on younger patients鈥 careers, financial health, and social connections.鈥
Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS
This is a reality patient Alina knows all too well. She was diagnosed as stage 3b, indicating the disease had spread beyond the colon wall into her lymph nodes. Huntsman Cancer Institute surgeons removed her tumor and part of her colon. She then underwent chemotherapy.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e going through a traumatic situation, you just get through it. You have a schedule, and you go from appointment to appointment,鈥 says Alina. 鈥淏ut then you have to pick up the pieces once it鈥檚 all over, and that鈥檚 mentally very hard to do.鈥
Alina says her treatment was difficult for her 人妻中出视频ren, as both she and her husband were forced to focus on her health. She also developed severe neuropathy, or nerve damage, as a side effect of chemotherapy鈥攐ne that still affects her two years later. She is particularly sensitive to cold, and sometimes she can鈥檛 feel her hands and feet. But she鈥檚 making progress, finding success when she can playing pickleball for longer and longer sessions with her family.
Alina says she is grateful for her medical team at Huntsman Cancer Institute鈥攁nd she is eager to see what researchers will uncover that can help patients going forward.
鈥淟earning why I developed colon cancer wouldn鈥檛 change what I went through, but it can help other people,鈥 says Alina. 鈥淚 would love to be able to save others from going through the emotional, physical, and financial burden that is colon cancer. It changes your life completely.鈥