To the Editor:

Nobody in their 20s, 30s, or 40s gets colorectal cancer, right? Wrong! The truth is that colon cancer is on the rise in young adults. There's an uptick of colorectal cancer in younger people as young as age 20. Millennials, GenZ's, and the rest of us need to be aware of the signs.

Talking about one's bowel habits has never been a popular conversation, but it just might save your life. If you have poo with ridges, or curled or pencil thin, changes in frequency of your bowel movements, or changes in the noise of your movements, it's worth a conversation with your healthcare provider. 

You can ask your practitioner for a "FIT" or fecal immunochemical test. Cologuard is one brand of the FIT. The beauty of the test is that a box is sent to your home, you “doo” your business, bring the box to UPS, and a few days later your doctor or nurse practitioner will have the results. 

(FIT) is a stool test that screens for colon cancer by looking for blood from your lower intestine. A positive result means blood was found in your stool, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have cancer. A negative result means no blood was found, but it doesn't completely rule out cancer. A colonoscopy is the best screening available to patients for colon cancer. 

Why is the North Country community having trouble getting preventative screenings for their colons? 

From my own experience, staff turnover leads to repeated cancellations of appointments and forces patients into an endless cycle of being a "new patient." This cycle deprives patients of deeper relationships with their practitioner and from getting their preventative health screenings. Further, St. Lawrence Health practitioners fail to provide patients with the full portfolio of health services available to them through Rochester Health. For instance, there's a state-of-the-art women's health center in Pittsford and there are seven gastrointestinal clinics with colonoscopy appointments generally available two to three weeks out. 

I've also come to realize that there are myths and misinformation about colorectal cancer such as, "it's a guy thing", "it's a gay men's thing", "it's an old people thing", "it's for people who exist on a diet of red meat". These attitudes prevent us from thinking that colon cancer is something that we might experience.

Healthcare practitioners need to have earnest conversations with their patients about colon health and the need for early and regular colonoscopies, as well as, the ability to schedule gastrointestinal appointments through Rochester Health.

It's time to begin talking about poo. We all need to have conversations about our colon health. 

For additional information about the rise in colorectal cancer read, "Colorectal Cancer: What Millennials and Gen Zers Need to Know."

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/colorectal-cancer-in-young-people

Larissa Fawkner
Potsdam