This good to go segment is
sponsored by Corwell Health.
Colorectal cancer was once thought of
as an older person's disease,
but according to a recent report
by the American Cancer Society,
the disease is on the increase
among those aged 55 and younger.
Doctor Ben Keefe is a gastroenterologist
with corwell health here to tell us
more about colorectal cancer and why it
seems to be affecting younger people.
Hi, doctor Keith.
Hi, Catherine. Thanks for having me.
I am glad to. What can you tell
us about this trend in colorectal
cancer and is it happening?
Are you seeing it here
in West Michigan? Yeah.
Those are great questions.
First of all, yes,
we are seeing it here in West Michigan
and I've been at Corwell Health,
formerly Spectrum Health for 20 years now.
And we have certainly seen a
trend toward colorectal cancer
occurring in younger individuals.
Historically, we would typically start
recommending a colonoscopy for screening.
In people starting at age 50.
But in 2018,
the American Cancer Society began to
see a trend toward colorectal cancer
happening in younger individuals,
and they issued a suggestion at that
time that people actually started getting
their first colonoscopy at age 45,
and then the United States
Preventive Task Force supported
that recommendation in 2021.
Why the rye is why it's
trending so much younger.
Well, it's another great question.
It's thought to be really what
they call multifactorial.
So there are many different
factors playing a role in that.
In some cases,
we have more obesity in our society.
Obesity is a is a known risk factor for
increasing colorectal cancer and they're
also thought to be some dietary factors,
perhaps too much processed foods over many
decades has made this shift start to happen.
It's also seen in other countries.
Like this as well,
it's not just an American phenomena.
OK. So you know that.
That's my next question.
Are there some things that we can
be doing with regard to prevention,
because that's obviously
our best bet, isn't it?
Definitely the old saying an
ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure is, is always true,
particularly in medical circumstances.
So the best things that people can
do when you're a younger individual,
number one, don't smoke cigarettes.
Smoking cigarettes is associated
with increased cancer of all types,
but particularly colorectal cancer.
And you want to maintain a healthy
lifestyle with plenty of physical activity,
trying to keep your weight
at a reasonable level.
Obesity, as I mentioned earlier,
can be a risk factor for colon cancer
as well as other types of cancer.
And then probably the biggest thing that
people can do from a prevention standpoint.
Is to really push and talk to their doctors
about getting a colonoscopy beginning
at age 45 for average risk individuals.
If people have a first degree family
member that's had colorectal cancer,
then they want to do that colonoscopy
10 years earlier than their immediate
family member was diagnosed.
So getting a colonoscopy at 45 is critical.
Colonoscopy is not just a
so-called screening test,
but it really is a cancer
prevention test because we as.
Gastroenterologist performing the
procedure can go into the colon and
actually take out precancerous lesions
before they ever turn into cancer
which is ultimately what we all want.
Of course this early detection
is so critical and yet you talk
about the screen, the test.
A lot of people say like I can't do it.
It's, you know, it's awful.
There's no dignity.
You know what do you say to all that?
Well, I would I would try to reassure
them and tell them that that it's,
you know, it's, it's really a day of
your life to kind of get ready for it.
Have the procedure done and it can
save just tremendous difficulty in
suffering on the on the back end of it.
No pun intended obviously,
but it it's, it's worth the effort
and with a lot of medical procedures,
the more effort that the patient
puts into it, the greater the
results in terms of benefit to them.
And it's worthwhile for everybody.
So let's talk treatment because
you mentioned the the ability
to you know cut out a bad spot,
a section or whatever, but what
what's the latest on treatment?
Well, the the treatment for colon and
rectal cancer is is progressing you
know by the minute and there are more
treatment options available to patients
today than there ever have been before.
And really the the ideal scenario
that I mentioned earlier would
be to have the colonoscopy done.
Get the precancerous lesion taken
care of before you even have cancer.
But for those individuals that do ultimately
develop a colon or rectal cancer,
it's typically a a multi group
kind of recommendation involving
gastroenterologists, surgeons,
oncology or cancer specialists to
come up with an ideal treatment
program for the individual patient.
To catch it, though, talk to your doctor.
So you're in there getting that
screening when you should.
Thank you so much, Doctor Keefe and folks.
For more information,
you can visit spectrumhealth.org
and search colon cancer.
They've got a bunch of information there.
Critical. Critical to read it.
Thank you, Doctor Keith.
Thank you, Catherine.