15-Year Colon Cancer Survivor Diagnosed at Age 37 Urges Screening

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. A new report by the American Cancer Society shows that the incidence of advanced colorectal cancer is now three out of five people diagnosed and that one in five diagnoses now occur in people under age 55.

Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008 when she was just 37 years old, Marci Jackson Cooke is part of the growing trend of younger adults being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, which led the American Cancer Society in 2018 to lower colorectal screening guidelines to begin at age 45. Marci believes that her diagnosis may have saved her younger sister Marielle’s life.
Marielle Jackson explains, “The recommendation from Marci’s doctor was that I should start screening when I was ten years younger than the age of her diagnosis. I was under 30 at the time and thought that colonoscopies are something for older people.” Thanks to regular colonoscopies, Marielle has had both pre-cancerous and benign polyps removed. Most colorectal cancers start as a polyp on the inner lining of the colon or rectum.
“We know rates are increasing in young people, but it’s alarming to see how rapidly the whole patient population is shifting younger, despite shrinking numbers in the overall population,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, and lead author of the report. “The trend toward more advanced disease in people of all ages is also surprising and should motivate everyone 45 and older to get screened.”
CRC is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. CRC incidence declined rapidly in people 50 and older during the 2000s, largely because of increased screening with colonoscopy. However, progress has slowed over the past decade with decreasing trends now confined to people 65 and older.
A recent report on cancer facts and trends by the American Cancer Society (ACS) shows the proportion of individuals in the U.S. diagnosed with advanced-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) increased from 52% in the mid-2000s to 60% in 2019. In addition, diagnoses of people under 55 years of age doubled from 11% (1 in 10) in 1995 to 20% (1 in 5) in 2019.
In 2023, an estimated 153,020 people will be diagnosed with CRC in the U.S., and 52,550 people will die from the disease. These major findings can be found in Colorectal Facts & Figures 2023-2025, available on cancer.org. For colorectal cancer screening guidelines, see www.cancer.org/get-screened.
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About the American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 100 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.