Colon cancer is steadily rising in cases, and while there are many symptoms a person can experience, one man only had one before his devastating diagnosis.
Early-onset colorectal cancer has seen an increase in the last three decades, with numbers nearly doubling since 1990.
While there have been a number of studies to look into why this is happening, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause.
What can cause colon cancer?
It's been thought that lifestyle choices and diet are major contributors, but the specific reason for the increase in colon cancer is a mystery for now.
It's also been discussed that it could be due to ultra processed foods, or even a low calcium diet.
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Contributing factors, according to a recent study, included alcohol consumption and obesity, as these were next in line as risk factors to developing the cancer.
The first risk was consuming not enough calcium.
What's one major symptom to look out for in colon cancer?
For Cameron Kalunian, his diagnosis sparked a terrifying health ordeal.
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He told his story to UCLA Health, and revealed the one symptom he had before he was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Like many, Cameron fell into the age group which is seeing a significant boom in diagnoses- the under 35s.
“I was 35 years old when I started seeing some blood in my stool,” said Cameron.
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Blood in your stool is a major indication of the disease, which should be treated with seriousness.
While many go on to see other changes, this was all Cameron had to tip him off that something was wrong.
At first, his primary care physician sent him to a gastroenterologist to runs some tests.
He explained: “They performed a sigmoidoscopy, which is a less invasive test than a colonoscopy. They found a large tumor at my colorectal junction.”
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Once diagnosed, he had to go in for colorectal surgery in late 2019, and thankfully, he was in remission within a month of the tumour being removed.
Because of the fast process from noticing the blood in his stool to having the tumour removed, Cameron was at Stage 1, meaning that it was easily treatable and had not spread.
“They did my surgery laparoscopically, so I only have a tiny scar on my abdomen. I was impressed with how cutting-edge all the technology at UCLA Health was,” he explained, adding: “My anesthesiologist, rather than putting me on a morphine drip or IV for pain medication, gave me a spinal tap. So I had a lesser dosage of medicine, which meant I was less likely to have complications.
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“I was home three days after the surgery and was back at work within two weeks of my surgery. Every aspect of the care I received was thorough and reassuring. I felt the comprehensive care and felt that my interests were being taken care of.”
However, like many people in his position, your age can oftentimes fool you into believing that this type of cancer cannot develop- or if it does, it must be a rare case.
What to do if you think you have colon cancer
As cases continue to rise in younger people, it becomes even more vital that if you notice a symptom of colon cancer (tummy pain, changes to your stool, blood in your stool), then it’s time to seek advice.
“I didn't have a family history, but I had seen in the media that there is a higher prevalence of early-onset colon cancer,” he said.
Cameron added: “I think there are a lot of stigmas associated with the testing. Ultimately, it wasn't a big deal. I think, now, I've had four colonoscopies and you get better at it each time. You know what to expect and it's not scary.
“The most important thing is, if you have symptoms to follow up on them. Listen to your body. Blood in the stool is something to pay attention to and take very seriously.”
Topics: Cancer, Health, Bowel cancer
Britt Jones