Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters this morning.
Gastrointestinal cancer is on the rise among adults under 50.
Sommer said, “National Cancer Research Institute shows they’re growing fast in younger people, and there’s been a big jump within the last five years. That’s kind of alarming. The jumps are big. So from 2017 to 2022 annual cancer rates among adults under the age of 50 had a dramatic surge. So colon rectal cancers increased by 23.6% in a five year period, pancreatic cancer climbed to 15.4%, stomach cancer rose to 13.3% and esophageal cancer increased by 12.8%. There’s a chart there, just so you can get an idea of how the spike happened. But colorectal cancer being the big one, which we talk about all the time here, but this was news to me that now they’re seeing a spike in pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancer.”
Early onset colorectal cancer is now a leading cause of cancer deaths for US men under 50 and it’s the second leading cause of cancer death for women.
Sommer said, “Millennials born in 1990 have double the risk of colon cancer and four times the risk of rectal cancer compared to those born in 1950. Even in some groups, they’re seeing a rise up to 333% increase among 15 to 24 year olds.”
Why is this happening?
Sommer suggested, “Western diets are high in ultra processed foods, sugar and red or processed meats. They’re easy to grab, and especially, you’ve got to figure the younger adults. I mean, I don’t know about you, but most people don’t sit down and have a family dinner. So in our house, we try really hard to cook a meal every night. It’s hard, and we’re eating sometimes at 9, 9:30 at night. Ours is more from a cost standpoint. I just can’t afford to eat out again. BMI over 30 can double your risk of colorectal cancer. BMI stands for body mass index. So that’s how they decide whether you’re underweight, average weight, overweight, and then obese.”
Microbiome changes can also be a factor.
Sommer said, “Just your gut microbiome, changes that occurred due to diet and the environment and stress, is a contributing factor. Also chronic inflammation and they’re saying environmental exposure. There’s a lot of change over the years of the way everybody has a lifestyle, and we’re in this kind of like, rush, rush, rush, go, go, go lifestyle that our daily healthy habits have fallen by the wayside.”
What are some of the warning signs people should look for?
Sommer said, “Change in bowel habits, blood in stool, persistent diarrhea or constipation, unexplained weight loss or fatigue or abdominal pain that doesn’t go away. So if you’re somebody that normally has a bowel movement every day, and then you’re noticing like you’re not, or you’re straining, or you’re constipated, or your stools are more loose, those are warning signs that, don’t poo poo, and think that, oh, it’s something I ate, or, I’m not drinking enough water. Just pay attention to those and weight loss and fatigue are big ones. If you’re losing weight for no reason, you need to go see the doctor, and then of course, abdominal pain.”
Screening also starts younger, at 45 instead of 50.
Sommer said, “James Vanderbeek, he was on Dawson’s Creek, I think way back. He is 48. He just got diagnosed with colon cancer, and he said he had no idea that the screening age had changed, and he kind of ignored his warning signs, because he thought, I’m young. I’m not 50 yet. Katie Couric, her husband died a long time ago.”
What can people do to reduce their risk of colorectal cancer?
Sommer said, “Eat more plant and fiber based diet, fewer processed meats. Fiber, I really think is a big one. In processed foods, they don’t have fiber. So when you eat those processed foods, you tend not to eat vegetables.”
Exercise supports a healthy gut microbiome.
Sommer said, “It does come up as a positive because stress, it alters what’s going on in your microbiome, right? It increases acid production, all those things. Exercise is a healthy way to relieve stress, so it’s also a way to relieve the stress in your gut. Your gut tells a lot about you.”
Limiting alcohol and avoiding tobacco will also help. Also pay attention to family history and get screened accordingly.
Sommer said, “If you have a family history of colon cancer or any type of GI cancer you need to make your physician aware. You should always have a primary care physician to just have a relationship with somebody, just because you’re young doesn’t mean you don’t need to go to the doctor. Having an annual checkup is a good thing, because then when something is wrong, it’s easier to find than if you haven’t been to the doctor for 25 years, and you show up with, like, a litany of complaints, and they don’t know where to start, because they have no idea when, what started, but pay attention to family history, and we see this a lot in the office. We’ve talked about fear before. Don’t put off because your mother, your father, had colon cancer, you’re afraid if you go get a colonoscopy, that’s what you’re going to have. The best time to catch it is in the beginning stages, just to get the screen, because we do have patients that show up, and this is common, more than not, is they will complain of a hemorrhoid, and it’s not a hemorrhoid, it turns out to be a mass.”
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