Study aims to find out why colon cancer cases are rising among young people
Colon cancer is rising among young adults, and doctors are trying to understand why.
A new study from Boston researchers is finding important differences in the tumors of younger patients.
For one dad in Norwood, Massachusetts, it started with a phone call from his doctor that he’ll never forget.
“He said, ‘Hey, I’ve got some really bad news for you. You have cancer,'” said Chris Causey. “Then he said, ‘And it’s metastatic. It’s in a lot of places.'”
Causey says he knew something didn’t feel right for months. He saw another doctor earlier.
“He’s like, ‘You’re just stressed. You’re carrying a lot,'” Causey said of the first doctor. “And he kind of wrote it off. And as the months progressed, it got more and more intense.”
Suddenly, at 42, with no family history, Causey was facing Stage 4 colorectal cancer.
“One of my greatest moments in life was getting to hold my daughter and my son. And when I was diagnosed, that came flooding back to me,” he said.
Three years and 64 rounds of chemo later, his oncologist, Dr. Kimmie Ng, has been trying to figure out why she’s seeing more patients like him.
In a new study, her team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute compared tumors from younger and older patients and found some important differences, including in the tissue surrounding it.
“We know that this connective tissue or scaffolding around tumors can actually shield tumors from the effects of chemotherapy or immunotherapy,” said Ng, director of the Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber.
Researchers don’t know why cases are rising in younger people. But for Causey, every clue means something.
“As a patient, you’re always trying to find out ‘What’s the next step? How do we fight this thing that’s so mysteriously beating us?’ So I saw hope in that article,” he said.
Causey has his 65th round of chemo coming up. Even though he says fighting cancer has become a full-time job, he’s not giving up, and neither are the researchers.
More health news
Ver nota original ↗
¿Querés un resumen rápido de esta noticia, hecho por nuestra IA?
