Incidence of colorectal cancer among adults under 50 in the US has increased by about 3% yearly, according to major media reports. Multiple reports indicate that 27% of colorectal cancer patients under 50 in the US are diagnosed at Stage 4, and the five-year survival rate for distant (Stage 4) colorectal cancer is 13%. Natalie Hopper was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in March 2023 at age 42, according to major media reports.
Doctors initially dismissed Natalie Hopper's symptoms due to her age, but a locum doctor referred her for an urgent CT scan in February 2023. Katie Rich was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2018 at age 33, according to major media reports. She was initially told her abdominal pain was a gallbladder issue.
People would come up to my friends and family in the street and say I'm really sorry about your mum, and I remember thinking at the time: 'Hang on, I'm still alive. I'm fighting to live, but you're already talking about me like I'm dead'.
Amber Kissell was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to her liver at age 36, according to major media reports. Her symptoms began after the birth of her daughter in late 2015. Doctors initially told Amber Kissell her symptoms were due to haemorrhoids or a fissure, and she was told she was 'too young' for cancer by a specialist.
Cheyenne Midwinter was diagnosed with bowel cancer at age 39, according to Daily Mirror - UK News. She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumour. Lawrence Fox was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in December 2024 at age 67, according to major media reports.
Stage four cancer isn't a death sentence and I think that there needs to be a more positive shift or change in how people approach it.
He was initially told he had nine months to live, and his tumour was 75mm and deemed inoperable. After 12 rounds of chemotherapy, Lawrence Fox's tumour shrank to 15mm and is no longer classified as stage four. Fewer than 10% of patients with stage four pancreatic cancer in the UK survive beyond five years, according to major media reports.
It remains unknown what specific public health measures are being implemented to address rising early-onset colorectal cancer rates or whether updated screening guidelines are being considered for younger adults based on these cases. The current survival status and prognosis for each patient mentioned in the reports have not been confirmed.
I was going through a separation at the time and it took quite a long time to get diagnosed because when I went to my doctor and said I had bowel changes they just put it down to stress.
I did ask two or three times, 'should I be worried about cancer?', but they said I was too young for cancer. I was only 42 at the time and my symptoms started when I was about 40.
It took fresh eyes for someone to actually go, hang on a minute, this isn't right.
My whole world imploded. Up to that day, I was self-employed as a decluttering specialist for people with hoarding disorder and had just got my own flat.
You know what? You're 33 years old. Don't worry about it.
At first I saw blood and went to my primary care doctor, who said it was a fissure.
He told me I had haemorrhoids and sent me on my way.
Before I left the third visit, I even asked, ‘Are you sure I don’t have cancer?’ He said, ‘No, you’re too young.’
I should have gone for another opinion right then. But I was in denial, nobody wants to believe they could be seriously ill.
I would wake up in the morning feeling like I had a hangover even though I hadn't been drinking. I just felt unwell all the time.
I had horrible abdominal pain, I was literally lying on the floor crying. I thought it was the flu and brushed it off.
I need to go to the ER, something isn't right.
The doctor said, ‘Well, it does look like you have cancer’.
When they told me it was stage four, it was like my whole world stopped.
I thought it was either a dairy intolerance, or it was IBS. No part of me that thought it could be cancer at that point.
My grandfather died from bowel cancer, but he was in his mid 80s so when I shared that with the first doctor, they said that was more common at that age.
When they told me and my husband, Dan, that they had found a tumour, it was devastating, as you think the worst.
I had a two-month period where my tummy didn't feel right. At the beginning, I put it down to sometimes my period making me feel bloated and bowel movements - sometimes if I had too much caffeine.
I didn't want to go to the doctor for them to tell me to cut out certain foods. But things weren't improving - I had loose poo, tummy cramps and then I found blood in my poo.
I wasn't digesting my food properly – it was basically just coming straight out of me. I also had the runs – within a couple of hours of eating anything, I needed the toilet.
At the time, I was more worried about my mum than I was about myself. I was just glad I was getting it checked out.
That wakes you up. My thought was – they obviously think I can take this chemo, and they wouldn't be doing it if they didn't think there was a chance. So I thought, if they're going to give it to me, I've got to give it my all.