Colon Cancer Early Warning Signs

Colorectal cancer – which includes colon and rectal cancer – is expected to cause more than 50,000 deaths in 2020 – including 3,640 deaths in people younger than 50 years.  Chadwick Boseman, the actor, died from colon cancer in August 2020.  He was only 43 years old.  Deaths among people younger than 55 years old have been increasing by 1% each year. Death rates are 47% higher in black men and 34% higher in black women. Worldwide, Ashkenazi Jews have one of the highest risks of getting colorectal cancer of any ethnic group, according to the American Cancer Association. The American Cancer Association reports that cancers of the colon and rectum are the third most common type in the U.S., after lung and breast cancer, and the second-deadliest for men and women combined.

Rick Osterberg is a young man who remembers hearing that he was declared cancer-free at 45 years old.  That was in 2018.  He had stage 3 colon cancer and it was aggressively treated.  The cancer came back in 2020.  Rick does remember some signs in 2017 before he was initially diagnosed that should have caused him a reason to be alarmed. He visited London and had constipation.  He thought it was the food. That was six months before his diagnosis.  Then three months prior to his diagnosis, Rick had more mild constipation and gastrointestinal cramping. He did go to the doctor but was given fiber tablets since he had a history of stomach problems.

Rick later had a low-grade fever that sent him back to the doctor.  The doctor thought it might be a virus.  His bloodwork was fine.  Fortunately, the doctor decided to do a CT scan just in case it was something worse.  And it was. There was a mass in his sigmoid colon, the part of the large intestine closest to the rectum and anus. He was immediately scheduled for a colonoscopy – a procedure in which a doctor threads a camera into the colon to have a look at what’s inside. The growth was cancerous and had begun to spread, so Osterberg was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, a serious but treatable disease.

It’s always a good idea to get checked by a doctor if you aren’t feeling well. Dr. Emmanouil P. Pappou, a colorectal surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York lists early signs of colorectal cancer as being:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Blood in stool
• A narrowing or change in girth of the stool
• A feeling of incomplete evacuation
• Cramping pains
• Fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss
• Changes in Bowel Habits