Young people are also increasingly suffering from colon cancer. Since those affected do not immediately think of cancer when they experience symptoms, colon cancer is often only detected late.
Fulda – Colon cancer (colorectal carcinoma) is one of the most common types of cancer in Germany. According to the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), it is the second most common type of cancer in women and the third most common type of cancer in men. Colon cancer usually occurs after the age of 50. However, younger people are increasingly affected by this type of cancer.
Colon cancer risk: Younger people should look out for three symptoms
According to a study, an unhealthy diet and the consumption of a certain drink could be the cause of the increase in colon cancer among younger people: energy drinks are suspected of promoting colon cancer. Health expert Professor Daniel Jaspersen from Fulda considers the trendy drinks to be “dangerous stimulants” and calls the ingredients “health-hazardous”.
Despite the increasing number of cases, many younger sufferers and their GPs do not immediately think of colon cancer when they experience certain symptoms. As a result, the tumor is often only detected late. This in turn can lead to less successful treatment. A team of researchers led by Dr. Joshua Demb, a gastroenterologist at the University of California San Francisco in the USA, has therefore conducted a study to investigate which symptoms occur specifically in colon cancer patients under the age of 50.
A woman walks through a model of an intestine. Prevention is important to detect colon cancer. © Jörg Carstensen/dpa
During the evaluation, the scientists were able to identify the following three main symptoms, How fr.de reported.
- Bloody stools (45 percent)
- Abdominal pain (40 percent)
- Changed bowel habits (27 percent)
Colon cancer in young people: Tumor manifests itself through various symptoms
In addition to the main symptoms, the study participants reported other complaints that were mentioned less frequently. These included weight loss (17 percent), loss of appetite (15 percent), constipation (14 percent), abdominal tension (14 percent) and diarrhea (12 percent).
On average, patients received the correct diagnosis within four to six months. However, in some cases, it took more than a year for colon cancer to be detected and diagnosed.
For their study, the researchers evaluated data from 81 studies with information from almost 25 million colon cancer patients. Those affected were younger than 50 years old at the time of diagnosis.
“Since the chances of treatment and recovery for colon cancer are very good compared to other types of cancer, a colonoscopy should be performed in good time if these symptoms occur,” recommends physician Jaspersen.
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