Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Early-onset colorectal cancers may be becoming more common in young people between the ages of 20 and 39 years old, according to a new study, with the increase appearing more pronounced in Black and Hispanic populations.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, tracked increases in incidences of early-onset colorectal adenocarcinoma, specifically cases which had already progressed to a late stage of the cancer, reported in the U.S. between 2000 and 2016.
Early-onset refers to cancer in patients younger than 50 years of age, and colorectal adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that starts in the large intestines and can spread from there. Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer in Canada.
Researchers found that the biggest increases were in distant-stage colorectal adenocarcinomas, and that the increases became more pronounced the younger the patients were.
This means that while there was a 48-per-cent increase from 2000 to 2016 in the incidence rate of rectal-only distant-stage adenocarcinoma in patients 30-39 years of age, there was a 133-per-cent increase in the same cancer in patients aged 20-29 years in that same time period.
They also found that not only did incidence rates change, but there was an increased risk for those with younger ages when it came to distant-stage colorectal cancer. Patients aged 20-29 years old had a 29-per-cent likelihood of presenting with an advanced stage of the disease, compared with a 20 per cent likelihood for those aged 50-54.
The study also looked at cancer rates as they pertained to race, looking at three categories of patients: Hispanic people, non-Hispanic white people, and non-Hispanic Black people.
And the largest increase of cancer incidence were among Hispanic people and Black people, with incidence rates more than doubling for some types of colorectal cancers.
“We found that proportions of distant-stage colorectal cancer increased over time in most early-onset subgroups with a corresponding decrease in early-stage disease, and that there is a direct correlation between younger age and the likelihood of presenting with distant-stage disease,” Dr. Jordan Karlitz, author of the study and an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in a press release.
“Although the increasing burden of early-onset colorectal cancer affects all races, these increases seem to be particularly prominent in the youngest non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic subgroups, although absolute case counts remain relatively low.”
In order to conduct the study, researchers looked at annual incidence data reported by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER), a government source of cancer statistics in the U.S. They looked at data on more than 100,000 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.
Many previous studies have looked at early-onset incidence rates of colorectal adenocarcinoma alongside carcinoid tumours, which are a type of similar cancer that grows much slower. Because of that, Karlitz said that previous studies may have downplayed cancer results that were farther along in the stage of disease.
“Rectal carcinoids are quite common and usually much less aggressive than rectal adenocarcinomas, so if you lump these together, it could make EOCRC appear less aggressive than it really is,” he explained.
Researchers say their results back up recent changes that suggest screening for this cancer begins younger.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced in May 2021 that they were recommending that screening now start at 45 years of age for colorectal cancer, instead of at 50.
“We hope that the results of our manuscript motivate people to get screened on time at age 45 when they become eligible,” Karlitz said. “However, many patients under age 45 will not be eligible for average-risk screening, so it is imperative that we stratify young individuals for early testing based on symptoms and family history.”
Canadian guidelines currently recommend that screening begins at age 50 for those who do not have a high risk for colorectal cancer, according to the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. High risk includes having a family history of colorectal cancer, their website stated.
Karlitz added that the research also highlights some groups which could benefit from targeted screening and support.
“We need to place additional focus on racial subgroups that have an increased tendency to present with distant-stage disease, including the youngest non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations, to reverse these trends,” he said.
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.