Once considered a disease of the elderly, colon cancer is increasingly affecting younger generations, with early-onset cases rising at an alarming rate. Many are aggressive or diagnosed at a later stage, leading to a poor prognosis. A 26-year-old woman’s excruciating pain in her stomach was dismissed as celiac disease. By the time her scheduled scan came through, her symptoms had intensified and she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, Business Insider reported.
Colon cancer in young
Colon cancer cases in young people have witnessed a sharp rise in recent years even as the overall rate of the deadly cancer is on the decline. Over the years, the average age of early-onset colorectal cancer has decreased. A decade ago, it was in the 40s, but now it has dropped further to the 30s and 40s. In the case of younger colon cancer patients, an inherited genetic mutation could be behind the malignancy. However, lifestyle factors like eating an unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle may also contribute to it.
The young lady’s painful predicament
Shannin Desroches, 26, was full of life and leading an active lifestyle, eating healthy and clean diet. When she started experiencing stomach pain after meals, she was initially told by her doctor in Ontario that it was likely a gluten allergy, and asked her to get blood work done, a Business Insider report said.
However, she booked her own CT scan. However, due to a long waiting time, it took almost a year to schedule a scan.
While she ate smaller snacks to avoid abdominal discomfort, she experienced symptoms like constipation, pencil-thin stools, and felt a nagging pain in her left side.
“No matter what I ate, I was in excruciating pain, pretty much yelling for help,” Desroches, told Business Insider. She feared that she with these symptoms, she wouldn’t be able to make it to the scan.
She was eventually admitted for an emergency colonoscopy in early 2024, however, by that time the tumour in her colon got so big that the procedure couldn’t be finished. She told the outlet that The GI specialist “couldn’t get the camera through.”
Diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, she was given a three-year life expectancy. She now wishes colonoscopies were more routine for people under 45, the recommended minimum age.
“If I had a colonoscopy done, I could have caught this even in stage 2 or 3,” she said. “That’s the most frustrating part to me, knowing that I shouldn’t have to be here fighting stage 4.”
Another nightmare unfolds
Desroches was able to book an MRI in April 2024 with the help of a friend. A blockage was found and a colonoscopy the next morning confirmed it was a tumour. She subsequently underwent a six-hour surgery, which removed part of her large intestine where the tumour was located, her right ovary, 13 lymph nodes, and part of the membrane lining her liver. The large tumors on the liver could not be removed for the fear of liver failure.
In the morning after she woke up with her husband at her side, the surgeon told her she had stage 4 cancer and advise her to start egg retrieval from her left ovary right away, if she wanted children as the cancer may spread quickly.
“I remember just almost disassociating,” Desroches said. She and her husband broke down once the doctor left. “We just had a good cry together and just bawled.”
Desroches opted for immunotherapy, a targeted treatment designed to help her immune system fight cancer, in combination with two chemotherapy drugs. However, chemotherapy took a troubling turn. During her 13th round of oxaliplatin, a chemotherapy drug, she suffered an anaphylactic shock, forcing her to stop the treatment.
“It was probably the scariest feeling I’ve ever felt, knowing that my body is literally shutting down on me,” she said.
The results have been far from encouraging as in the CT scan in January her tumours didn’t shrink. The next one is scheduled for April.
Meanwhile, Desroches is exploring other options. The hepatic arterial infusion pump she needs is only available in Canada through a clinical trial she doesn’t qualify for. While the procedure is more common in the US, her oncologist estimates it could cost over $500,000, making it financially out of reach.
She has started a GoFundMe page for her cancer treatments and looking for options in Europe. “It’s very overwhelming, but when you’re in fight-or-flight mode for your life, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “You just do it.”
Meanwhile Desroches and family are trying to stay positive. In October, she married her husband, Cody Desroches, at a beachside wedding in Jamaica. “I would do anything to go back to that day,” she said. They’re also planning to have kids.
A week after surgery, Desroches met with a fertility doctor to start the egg-freezing process right away. “It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced,” she said, describing intense nausea from hormone injections and dry-heaving so violently she feared her surgical staples would tear.
Following her procedures, she knows she’ll never be able to carry a child but hopes she and her husband can one day have one through surrogacy.
However, picturing a future is still hard for her. “It’s just natural when you’re at this age — you’re always thinking about what’s next, whether it’s planning a trip, renovating her house, or having kids.”
She still tries to cherish every moment with her loved ones, even though her life currently is in contrast with that of a busy nurse prior to cancer treatment.
“I try not to focus on that three-year mark because that’s just a statistic,” she said. “That’s not me.”