Hacker News Reader

Comment by greedo | Hacker News Reader

The lifetime risk of getting colon cancer is 4% for men. It's the third leading cause of cancer deaths.

I’ve had tests done where false negatives ran 20+% this is well known. I had every single symptom of the condition. Test came back negative. Doctor declared no issue, no reason to continue care.

A better doctor confirmed the diagnosis with additional tests. Growing belief that a false negative may mean a worse variation of the disease. Episode cost me an added year of organ damage.

> The lifetime risk of getting colon cancer is 4% for men. It's the third leading cause of cancer deaths.

The most important part of your sentence is "lifetime". Prostate is 11%, but most people don't get prostate cancer in their 30s.

The important part of this entire thread is that if you have symptoms, don't let the bell curve affect whether you seek treatment/exams from medical professionals. Colorectal cancer is no longer a rare thing in people under 50, and many practitioners operate under the naive idea that it doesn't occur in younger people.

What about under age 40? Or 45? Or 50?

In the next 15 years, more than one in 10 colon cancers and nearly one quarter of rectal cancers will be diagnosed in patients ages 20-34, according to the study. It also found that, in this age group, colon and rectal cancers are expected to increase by 90% and 124.2%, respectively, by 2030. For those ages 35-49, the predicted increase will be 27.7% for colon cancer and 46% for rectal cancer. Routine screening currently is not recommended for those under 50.

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/conquest/colorectal-...

Also, if you have a family history of colorectal cancer, you should definitely get examined earlier.

Do we know the cause of this? More consumption of red meats?

I've seen a study that points in that direction, but I don't think that's conclusive.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com