Northern Nevada HOPES warns of rising colon cancer rates in younger people | News

Northern Nevada HOPES is raising awareness about the rising rates of younger people being diagnosed with colon cancer.

With many cancers, it’s essential to get tested early and if something does come up, early treatment can be vital.

There are also a few types of colon cancer.

There is genetic colon cancer, which is rare, and there is colon cancer that can be attributed to lifestyle choices.

Doctors say most cases are still being seen with people 45 years old and above but 10.5% of cases are being seen in younger patients.

They told us some of the potential reasons more people may be getting this cancer…

Ryan Wong, PA-C, with Northern Nevada HOPES says “There’s been a lot of links to certain studies so far that are suggesting that certain processed foods and the amount of processed foods that we’re having could have an indication or association with things like colon cancer.”

Karina Castro, PA-C, with Northern Nevada HOPES explains some of the symptoms “Some of those risk factors or some of those presentations that you might see could be blood in your stool, a sudden change in your bowels or the color, all those things or anything abnormal that you notice, bring those up to your primary care.”

There are different ways to screen for colon cancer… Some people are afraid of getting a colonoscopy because it can be a daunting procedure to get done, but they do have more affordable and more comfortable options for the patient.

One option is a kit you can take home with you that you can get from your primary care doctor.

If you’re nervous here are some words of encouragement.

Dr. Wong says “Firstly I think there’s some people that are nervous when we talk about colonoscopies. There’s a fear of, ‘Hey it’s a colonoscopy, it’s super involved, there are all these things that take place,’ there’s more than just a colonoscopy that can screen for colon cancer we have more than one method to do that so there’s nothing to be anxious about.”

Doctors say it’s better to catch cancer signs earlier than later because you’ll have more options for treatments.

They say preventative care is the best thing you can do for colon cancer.

Dr. Wong explains “What we know right now with current research, is that we want people to control, are things like diet, exercise as well as smoking and alcohol intake. So, we know that decreasing smoking, decreasing alcohol intake, having a balanced diet high in fiber and decreased processed foods can definitely be helpful.”