The Colon Club

Please participate if you are under the age of 50 and recently diagnosed (2012) with Colorectal cancer. I am curious, as it seems to be becoming an epidemic and will likely change the face of cancer in the very near future.

Please post the following:

Date of diagnosis
Stage
Age at diagnosis
Current treatment status

Here is mine

February 2012
Stage IV
34
Currently in second line Folfiri treatment with hopes of HIPEC surgery in Feb

Thanks to all that participate.

Michelle

Date - April 2012
Stage - iv
Age - 36
Current status - round 7 of folfox, clear scan nov 28/12

Hi,

I here are my stats:

dx stage III rectal cancer on feb 27,2012, 1 week before my 44 birthday
8 rounds 5FU and Oxi from march -june
5 1/2 weeks radiation with Xeloda july-august
august - november 12 week "break"
november 5th LAR with temporay ileostomy (to be reversed in july)
Most likely I will begin 4 rounds (months) of Xeloda in January

Debbi

I was 50 plus 4 months. Barely missed it.

Date of diagnosis: Feb 2012
Stage: 2
Age at diagnosis: 30
Current treatment status: done surgery and 8 rounds of chemo. That should be it. Waiting for scans to indicate NED in Feb 2013!

You may want to also add if people have a genetic predisposition. I do not.

Lauren was diagnosed 2/9/2010
Age 25
Stage 3c
Deceased

Diagnosed April 2010
Age 38
Stage 2A
Currently NED

It's been a few yrs for me, but here goes

Diagnosed April 2004
Age 46
Stage IIIC rectal cancer
currently NED

Lee

I should add, the Dr that found my cancer said it was only a matter of time before they drop the age of 50 for screening, as they were seeing an increased in people getting diagnosed with colon cancer under the age of 50

This site was started for people diagnosed under age 50. You will find the highest ratio of those dx'd before age 50 right here, compared to anywhere else. If you look at signatures, most of us do have our age at dx, and our staging in our signature. So even if people don't post to your thread, you can still see many dx'd under 50 if you check signatures on any posts you read. There are some people on this site dx'd after age 50 because there is no strict rule, but the original intent was support for those dealing with a bit different situation having CRC before age 50, with issues that many older people don't have - careers and financially in a position they have to work (vs older and likely retired, or at least with more savings and less expenses), young children at home (vs grown children), or worrying about fertility issues because they don't have children yet, or wanted more, etc.

Also, you'll run across a lot of younger people with cancer on the Internet, compared to the "regular" world. The older population is less likely to use the Internet, and even less likely to visit cancer sites even if they do go online.

You are correct about people being diagnosed at younger ages with CRC. While the rate of CRC dx for those over age 50 is actually dropping (due to screening), the rate for those in the 20's, 30's, and 40's is climbing. We are the ones who didn't reach standard screening age yet. Sometimes we should have been screened earlier than age 50 and didn't know it. In my case I did not know that my grandmother died from colon cancer (I was told probably liver, but not certain). I also did not know that both my mother and father had multiple polpys removed at their first screening colonoscopies. Especially since I had one primary cancer before, I should have started screenings earlier, but I did not know that. My husband had 5 polyps removed at his first screening at age 50. His son knows he has to start at age 40. My children know they have to start at age 35. (One son had his first already at age 19 due to symptoms and family history.)

We need to spread the word everywhere we can, that people need to know their family history - if parents had polyps removed before age 60, they need to start screening earlier. If they had relatives with CRC they need to start screening earlier. But they also need to know that cancer plays by no rules. There is no "magic" age to get any cancer. Everyone has to be an advocate for themselves, and if they have any changes in bowel habits, including blood or mucous in stool, thinning of stool, or if they have unexplained abdominal pain or bloating, fatigue, anemia or weight loss, they need to see their doctor. And they need to keep pushing for answers until they get them.

I don't fit your criteria because I was diagnosed before 2012. But I see others who have replied diagnosed other years anyway. I was dx'd at age 47 in 2009 after being misdiagnosed for 2 years. Stage IV.

Diagnosed Nov 2011
Age 30
Stage 4 Colon Cancer
Second line of FOLFOX plus Avastin

Cindy
Dx age 35
Stage IV
Liver Ablation, Colon Resection
Starting Chemo in Jan/13

Age 45
Diagnosis 12/2011
Stage 4 CEA 180
1/2012 colon resection, pancreatic tail resection, partial gastrectomy, splenectomy, temporary colostomy
Folfox 12 rounds, avastin 11 rounds. CEA LESS THAN 0.5. Neulasta approx 9 rounds
9/2012 RFA liver
10/2012 hernia repair, colostomy takedown
11/2012 CEA 1.0
Follow up appt 12/31 plan avastin
OH WHAT A YEAR!

My daughter, my only child:

Age 32
Diagnosed October, 2011, 7 weeks after the birth of her first child
Stage IV, multiple liver mets, CEA 2,800, went up to 6,800 before starting treatment
Folfox for 4 months, then LAR
CEA back up to 3,000 something
Folfiri for 4 months
Theraspheres, right lobe May, left lobe June 2011
CEA crazy after spheres - CEA rising - oncologist sure it was Folfiri failing, stopped treatment, IR and onc said spheres "didn't work," tumors bigger
Went to Cancer Treatment Centers of America - continued Folfiri, added Erbitux and complementary treatments
CEA when last checked was 10.4 (2 wks ago), daughter feels wonderful - "normal" again, gained weight back, optimistic
Will have chemo 1st week in January then no chemo for 4 weeks, then PET scan
Onward and upward!

Sandy

Diagnosed April 2011
Age 35
Stage 2 poorly differentiated and into the bloodstream
Surgery May 2012
8 rounds of Xeloda finished Nov. 16th!
Now playing the waiting game...

10/12/09
Stage 2 rectal cancer
Age 44
Currently NED