Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer

If you’re young, you probably thought you could dodge getting a colonoscopy for a few years, but there’s nothing to fear. Prep isn’t that bad — really. And you’re asleep for the procedure itself.

If you’re under 45 and think you might have colorectal cancer, a colonoscopy is the first thing your provider will want to do. A colonoscopy is also recommended if you have rectal bleeding, bowel obstruction or if colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis) runs in your family.

Knowing if you have a family history of colorectal cancer is very important. If it runs in your family, your provider will most likely recommend you get a colonoscopy early (before you’re 45) as a precaution. So talk to your family. Ask them the tough questions. Understand your history. Then let your provider know.

Some early-onset colorectal cancer cases are caused by genetic mutations (changes). We usually recommend a cancer genetics evaluation to check for specific changes. This information helps our team decide which treatments and services are best for you and your family.

Learning that you may have cancer can be an emotional moment. You’ll want to make sure you’re working with a team of healthcare providers you trust to give you the best possible treatment. At Cleveland Clinic, we encourage second opinions. And we’ll do our best to make sure you get an appointment with us quickly. When you come in for your appointment, we’ll ask you to bring all of your medical records. Our team of experts will dive in and work together to help you through the process of finding the best personalized treatment plan for you.

Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Care at Cleveland Clinic

If colorectal cancer shows up in your family tree, you’ll want experts you can trust to help you. We have one of the first programs in the nation to screen for inherited (passed from parent to child) colorectal cancer (called hereditary colorectal neoplasia). Hereditary colorectal cancer can happen earlier in life. It can also come back after you receive treatment. When you come to see us, you’ll work with geneticists who specialize in inherited cancers.

If you have genetic testing that shows you have a higher risk of hereditary colorectal cancer, we’ll be right by your side.  Keeping a close watch on you means we can find any changes happening in your cells in earlier stages — at point when treatment is more successful. We specialize in hereditary colorectal cancer therapies that lower the chances of the cancer coming back again.

Meet Our Team of Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Providers

Care doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We work as a team throughout your treatment to make sure you get the best care possible. Throughout your journey, you may work with:

• Colorectal surgeons.
• Hematologists/ oncologists.
• Radiation oncologists.
• Liver surgeons.
• Thoracic surgeons.
• Gastroenterologists.
• Geneticists.
• Integrative medicine providers.
• Oncology dietitians.
• Pathologists.
• Psychologists.
• Fertility specialists (female and male).
• Maternal fetal medicine providers.
• Social workers.
• Nurses.

You may also work with coordinators and hereditary coordinators who will help guide you throughout the entire process.

Being young usually means you’re able to handle stronger treatments that may offer better chances of good results. We’ll create a personalized care plan that includes leading therapies and ongoing support. Depending on where your cancer is and how far along it is (stage), you may need one or more treatments, including:

• Chemotherapy, which uses drugs that find and kill cancer cells.
• Immunotherapy, which uses the body’s natural disease-fighting abilities to get rid of cancer cells.
• Targeted therapies, which use drugs and other substances to attack specific types of cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy, which uses beams of radiation to break up cancer cells, while protecting nearby healthy tissues.
• Surgery, which removes cancerous tumors using minimally invasive (smaller) cuts whenever possible to help you recover more quickly.

Preventive care

Having colorectal cancer at a young age can put you at a higher risk for getting cancer again. At Cleveland Clinic, we use results from genetic testing to help us make decisions about how often you should be examined or if you should have prophylactic (preventive) surgeries that can keep you from getting other cancers. As part of ongoing trials, we use liquid biopsies (blood tests) after treatment to check for tumor cell fragments in your blood. This information helps us predict how likely it is the cancer will come back so we can give you additional therapies, when necessary, to lower that risk.

Supportive care

If you’re a younger colorectal cancer patient, you may need different types of support than older patients. You may want to start a family after treatment or need help balancing the demands of work and cancer treatment. We offer a broad range of services that help you find peace of mind and plan for your future. We offer:

• Fertility specialists who’ll talk with you about fertility preservation options before you start cancer treatment.
• Lifestyle and wellness services like massage, acupuncture, music therapy and yoga.
• Cancer psychologists who’ll help you cope with the unexpected life changes that a cancer diagnosis may bring.
• Palliative and supportive care, which include a broad range of wellness services and support groups to improve your quality of life.
• Social workers who’ll help you understand and weigh options for balancing the things that are important to you, like your treatment, your loved ones and your career.
• Patient financial advocates who can help you understand the financial obligations and insurance issues related to your cancer diagnosis.

Taking the Next Step

Colorectal cancer can strike at any age, and if you’re under 50, it can impact your life in unique ways. But it’s also highly treatable. If you’ve been diagnosed with young-onset colorectal cancer, there’s hope. And that hope starts with finding a team of cancer specialists who’re at the top of their fields. At Cleveland Clinic, we offer you the best, newest treatments and support to help you through this unexpected turn in your life and set you on the road to recovery.