Denver (KDVR) — Colorado doctors say the death of actor Chadwick Boseman is shedding light on colon cancer and the rising number of cases in younger people.
The “Black Panther” Star died Friday at the age of 43, after a private four year battle with the disease.
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Dr. Warren Strutt, a colorectal surgeon at Presbyterian St Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, says colon cancer affects about 150,000 Americans every year.
About 17,000 of those people are under the age of 50.
“We are seeing about a two percent increase in colon cancer in patients under the age of 50, and we’ve seen this now for the past ten years, so there is a steady increase, and we’re not quite sure why,” Dr Strutt said.
The American Cancer Society now recommends screenings starting at age 45, or sooner if you have a relative with cancer.
But younger people tend not to get screened, and that can allow the cancer to spread. If caught early, and the cancer is contained, there is a 90 percent survival rate.
Dr. Strutt wants to make sure people across all age ranges know what to look out for.
“If they are having symptoms like rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habits, abdominal pain, then they should see someone,” he said.