January 24, 2024 | Posted in News
WE FIRST TOLD YOU LAST WEEK THAT MORE PEOPLE UNDER 50 ARE BEING DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER THAN EVER BEFORE. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. THE REPORT ALSO FOUND THAT COLORECTAL CANCER HAS BECOME THE LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER DEATHS IN MEN UNDER 50, AND THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE IN WOMEN. CHIEF OF COLORECTAL SURGERY FOR ADVENTHEALTH, DOCTOR MARK SOLOMON FROM ADVENT JOINS US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THESE FINDINGS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN, DOCTOR SOLOMON. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. UH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, COLON CANCER IS RISING AMONG ADULTS UNDER 50. DO WE KNOW WHY? THE SHORT ANSWER IS WE DON’T. THE LONGER ANSWER IS WE KNOW THAT THERE’S A CLEAR LINK BETWEEN SOME MORE MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS AND COLON CANCER MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS LIKE OBESITY, SMOKING, ALCOHOL, DIETS THAT ARE LOW IN FIBER, DIETS THAT ARE HIGH IN PROCESSED MEATS. SO WHEN YOU HEAR THAT LIST, YOU CAN KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT THERE’S PROBABLY A LINK BETWEEN DIETARY CHANGES AND THOSE MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS. AND THE YOUNGER AGE PATIENT POPULATION. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT I JUST MENTIONED IS ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE AND REVERSIBLE. SO WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR? IF THEY THINK THAT THEY COULD BE GOING DOWN THAT ROAD? YEAH. SO CLASSIC SYMPTOMS ARE CHANGE IN BOWEL HABITS. — BLEEDING UNINTENTIONAL WEIGHT LOSS. AND TO GET REALLY VAGUE FATIGUE. BUT THE SAD REALITY IS A LOT OF THE SYMPTOMS ARE ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE DISEASE PROCESS. SO MOST IMPORTANT THING IS ANY SYMPTOMS WHATSOEVER FOR DON’T CHALK IT UP TO SOME HEMORRHOID OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. GET CHECKED OUT BY A A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER OR PHYSICIAN TO ENSURE YOU’RE GOOD. YOU KNOW, WE’VE ALWAYS HEARD THAT. YOU KNOW, YOU GET YOUR COLONOSCOPY WHEN YOU TURN, YOU KNOW, ABOVE 40 IS THAT AGE NEED TO CHANGE. IS THAT SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS YOU’RE SEEING. SO ACTUALLY IT CHANGED SEVERAL YEARS AGO FROM 50 TO 45. AND IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PATIENT POPULATION, IT’S ACTUALLY 40. SO DEPENDING UPON RISK FACTORS AND DEPENDING UPON ANY FAMILY HISTORY OR IF YOU HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS, YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO CHANGE THE TIME IN WHICH YOU GET YOUR COLONOSCOPY CATCHING IT EARLY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR PEOPLE’S DIAGNOSIS GOING FORWARD WHEN THEY HAVE TO BATTLE COLON CANCER? COLON CANCER IS ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE. SO WHAT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DO IS JUST DON’T IGNORE SYMPTOMS. GET IN. DON’T BE AFRAID OF A COLONOSCOPY BECAUSE IT’S A IT’S A REALLY BENIGN PROCEDURE. AND ACTUALLY IF YOU LIKE TO SLEEP, IT’S REALLY GOOD FOR SLEEP AS WELL BECAUSE WE PUT YOU TO SLEEP FOR HIM. AND SO IT’S ENTIRELY A ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN ELIMINATE AT ONE POINT, YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS. ARE YOU STARTING TO SEE THAT TREND THAT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RELEASED ABOUT HAVING PATIENTS UNDER 50? THERE’S NO DOUBT WE’RE DEFINITELY SEEING AN UPTICK. WHERE I START SEEING PATIENTS THAT ARE NOW YOUNGER THAN ME AND WE HAVE BEEN FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUT BUT THE REALITY IS, EVEN THOUGH WE’RE SEEING AN UPTICK IN THOSE PATIENTS, IT’S NOT THE MAJORITY. WE’RE STILL SEEING MORE PATIENTS THAT ARE OLDER THAT HAVE COLON CANCER. SO THE YOUNGER PATIENTS, EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE HAVING AN INCREASED INCIDENCE, IT’S NOT LIKE THEY’RE OVERWHELMING THE SYSTEM. YOU MENTIONED AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN HIGHER RISK. DO YOU KNOW WHY THAT IS OR WHAT’S THE WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH THAT? THERE’S A LOT THAT GOES INTO IT. A LOT OF IT’S PROBABLY SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, DIET, UH, OBESITY. THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT KIND OF GO INTO IT. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS AFRICAN AMERICAN PATIENTS DEFINITELY WANT TO START AT 40. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY RISK FACTORS OR FAMILY HISTORY, YOU WANT TO START FIVE YEARS YOUNGER THAN THAT. FAMILY MEMBER WAS DIAGNOSED. AND FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION, YOU WANT TO START AT 45. WHAT’S YOUR LAST MESSAGE FOR PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE SEEING THIS INTERVIEW, HEARING THESE STATS? IT’S OBVIOUSLY NOT TO PANIC, BUT JUST BE AWARE. DON’T PANIC. JUST DON’T NOT IGNORE SYMPTOMS. DON’T CHALK UP SYMPTOMS LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, — BLEEDING. DON’T CHALK IT UP TO A HEMORRHOID. GET CHECKED OUT BY SOMEBODY. IT’S NOT A PROBLEM. IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL. THE GOOD NEWS IS WE CAN PREVENT CANCER FROM DEVELOPING. AND EVEN IF YOU DID HAVE A CANCER, WE’RE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY GOOD NOWADAYS AT CURING THESE THINGS CURE, NOT JUST CONTROL. AND EVEN THE STAGE FOR DISEASES. WE CAN CURE THEM A LOT OF TIMES WITH MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF AT ADVENTHEALTH WITHIN OUR UNIT. ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR MARK SOLOMON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. OF COURSE, THOSE IMPORTANT FACTS FOR US TONIGHT. AND IF YOU WANT TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH A LOVED ONE ABOUT COLON CANCER SYMPTOMS OR SCREENINGS, YOU CAN FIND THIS INTERVIEW ON OUR WEBSI