[ad_1]
(NBC News) Kevin Hays was only 28 years old when doctors told him that he was suffering from colorectal cancer. The diagnosis was shocking.
"It's not a world I anticipated or wanted to be part of," says Hays.
He is one of the fastest-growing young people with colon cancer, a disease that behaves differently than doctors.
"The sooner the cancer develops, the less it looks like a standard colon cancer," says Dr. Scott Kopetz of the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
New MD Anderson study reveals early-stage cancers lead to certain genetic mutations, tumors can develop in unusual areas of the colon, and may require new treatment
"They tend to be less sensitive to our standard treatments, and maybe that's partly because their biology, their wiring is different," says Dr. Kopetz.
Younger patients have unique needs. Kevin Hays, for example, is a young father.
Colon cancer treatments can have an impact on fertility.
This is one of the reasons why the country's cancer centers are starting to increase their resources for young colorectal cancer patients.
[ad_2]
Source link