A Florida gynecologist discovered her own stage 4 colon cancer despite only two mild symptoms.
Dr. Lauren Juyia (38) started feeling tired last year, but, like most people, dismissed it as part of life.
Only when dr. Juyia, who works in Brooksville and Clearwater, Florida, started feeling a “heavy pelvis” last August, so she decided to get an ultrasound.
Tests showed a small mass growing on her ovaries, which grew from 8 centimeters to 24 centimeters in a matter of weeks. It turned out that the cause was actually later stage colon cancer that had spread.
Dr. Lauren Juyia, a 38-year-old gynecologist from Florida, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer last year after suffering from “pelvic heaviness” and fatigue. The cancer had spread to her ovaries, uterus, omentum, appendix and abdomen.
She is now spreading awareness of the warning signs to look out for.
“Because we have a background in midwifery, we describe length in terms of gestational weeks, and so I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have a 16-week mass.’ I could tell from experience that it was my ovary ,” Dr. Juyia said on Good Morning America.
“I have never seen something benign, cancerous, that grows so fast,” said Dr. Yuya. “So we actually knew deep down it wasn’t going to be good. And of course we suspected ovarian cancer because it was the ovaries that were the masses.”
Within a month, she had surgery to remove masses from her ovaries, uterus and omentum – the large, flat layer of tissue that hung from the stomach and abdomen.
Despite the initial symptoms in her ovaries, Dr.
“About two months ago I was a bit tired in the afternoons, and as a mother of two young children… I didn’t think to say: ‘Oh, I think I need afternoon tea’,” said dr. Yuya.
Typical symptoms include changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, and unexplained weight loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Research from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that young people typically report rectal bleeding as the first symptom.
The graph above shows how the number of cases of colorectal cancer in adults aged 20 to 49 has increased. Scientists say more than 40 percent of diagnoses occur in people between the ages of 45 and 49. The chart shows the number of colorectal cancer cases per 100,000 people in younger adults by stage
The graph above shows the number of colorectal cancer diagnoses in age groups over time. It shows a significant increase in diagnoses among 20 to 49-year-olds (top right) and a decrease among 50 to 54-year-olds (bottom left). The diagnoses still fall among those over 65 years of age. The terms localized, regional, distant and unstaged refer to the stage of the colon cancer that has been diagnosed
According to the National Cancer Institute, colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. And it increases in young people.
A 2023 report by the American Cancer Society says the rate of colorectal cancer in Americans younger than 55 has increased from 11 percent of all cases in 1995 to 20 percent in 2019.
In the same study, researchers estimate that 153,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year. This includes approximately 52,000 deaths.
Mystery of the colon cancer epidemic among young people: The numbers have doubled among 55-year-olds
The ACS has warned that more cases will be diagnosed when cancer has spread to other parts of the body
Of those cases, 13 percent will occur in people under the age of 50, representing a nine percent increase in cases within that age group since 2020.
The American Cancer Society has also warned that more cases are diagnosed after the cancer has already metastasized or spread to other parts of the body, similar to what Dr. Yuya.
A 2017 study in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that people under 50 tended to wait two months longer to see a doctor after first noticing symptoms than people over 50.
Experts are still trying to figure out what’s behind the shift, but unhealthy diets, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyles are all responsible for the rising numbers.
Actor Chadwick Boseman’s death from colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43 brought more attention to the trend. He played the Black Panther in the blockbuster film Marvel.
Dr. Juyia had surgery last March to remove an inactive tumor. Tests so far show she has no signs of the disease.
Her number one piece of advice is to get screened early, which the majority of Americans don’t.
The American Cancer Society estimates that four in 10 adults aged 45 and older will be unaware of colon cancer screening by 2021.
This can be done with a colonoscopy or a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which only looks at the lower part of the rectum and colon.
“People younger than the screening age should still be aware of our symptoms because we usually don’t qualify for screening. We may have no symptoms because we are young and our bodies are more resilient. We can tolerate more symptoms,” Dr. Yuya.
“We just have to be aware that we are not lucky enough to be in the area where we have to be selected. And if you are in the area where you need to be screened, take advantage of it. Don’t waste this opportunity. There’s a reason we want to screen you and keep you safe.’
Source link
Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
