This year, researchers at the American Cancer Society predict that about 153,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. But unlike past years, they say a growing percentage of these patients will likely be younger adults under 50 — a predicted 13%. That’s 9% more than were diagnosed in 2020. And while that’s not an enormous slice of the population (~19,890 people), it’s still important to know what symptoms to look out for.
The CDC currently recommends starting screening for colorectal cancers at age 45, which means that for younger patients, it’s up to us to know our bodies and raise a red flag when something seems off. But how do we know when it’s time to make that appointment?
Recently, 31-year-old Bri Mahon (@brimahon), a mom of twins living in Newport Beach, California, took to TikTok to share the symptoms that led to her stage three colon cancer diagnosis, and her story is so important to hear.
In the video, which has been viewed nearly 2 million times, Bri shares that she was experiencing digestive issues for the last few years that she thought were due to IBS. Then, she started noticing her anxiety levels spiking and felt a lot of fatigue. “I was having panic attacks and I think it’s just because my body was really, really, really tired and going through whatever it’s going through growing a tumor.”
Then, last September, she gave birth to her twins who were premature and had to stay in the NICU for four months. During this time, she noticed blood in her stool but thought it was related to the pregnancy. Plus, she says, “I wasn’t even really thinking about what I was going through. I thought it was stress. I thought it was depression. I thought it was anxiety, kind of all these things coming up again. My fatigue was really bad, but again, I justified it in my head as my boys are in the NICU.”
But she shared that she finally sounded the alarm to her doctor when she started to notice blood in her stool more regularly. Her doctor then referred her to a GI specialist who ordered a colonoscopy, performed 10 biopsies, and finally gave Bri her diagnosis.
@brimahon / Via tiktok.com
In the comments, people shared their own experiences with going in to check out, like this person who pushed for a colonoscopy when they were 23 which found a pre-cancerous polyp. BTW, a polyp is the medical term for a growth in the lining of your bowel.
Survivors also chimed in to share that though this diagnosis can be terrifying to hear, they got through treatment and are now cancer free.
People also called out how medical gaslighting can make patients, especially young women, doubt our symptoms.
And others shared that they’ve gone in for similar symptoms and received a different diagnosis. So while these signs may point to cancer, you can’t know for sure until you get checked out.
Since every individual patient’s case is different, I reached out to Dr. Amit Garg. He’s a board certified hematologist/oncologist who’s been practicing since 2014, and who has also posted on TikTok to raise awareness of colon cancer in younger adults.
Dr. Amit Garg, @blooddocdad / Via tiktok.com
First, I asked Dr. Garg for signs that can point to colorectal cancer. He said, “Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and unexplained iron deficiency anemia.” While I wouldn’t go running to the doctor over diarrhea lasting just a day or two, symptoms that last longer without another obvious cause should set off alarm bells.
He also shared some factors that can predispose someone to developing this form of cancer. “Known risk…
Read More: This 31-Year-Old Woman Shared The Subtle Signs That She Had Colon Cancer, And It’s So Important