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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Almost 12% of all colorectal cancer cases per year are in people under the age of 50, according to the American Cancer Society. Last year, the screening age for colonoscopies was lowered to 45.
In 2018, Erik Oliva started to experience some symptoms of colorectal cancer, but he was in his thirties. He thought it would go away.
“I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I was losing too much blood every day, ”said Erik.
When Erik finally went to the doctor, they found a tumor the size of a donut in his colon. Erik underwent surgery and chemo.
“It was an overwhelming moment,” said Erik. “I was 32 at the time, sitting there and he told me I have cancer.
This was just the start of the Olivas’ journey against cancer.
“I started noticing some symptoms in April, but I attributed them to stress,” Nickie Oliva said. “I had my colonoscopy and woke up with the doctor sitting and my mom was next to my bed crying.
Erik and his wife, Nickie, struggle with the same disease in their 30s.
“We’re barely keeping things going just because I’m having problems,” Erik said. “The little I had left was just shattered.
While the age of the screening is 45, the Olivas have said 45 is not early enough.
“It has to be sooner,” Nickie said.
“I don’t think I could have waited,” Erik said. “I would have been at the fourth stage at the age of 36, 37.”
A public health task force recommends 45, because people under the age of 50 accounted for 12% of colorectal cancer diagnoses, and that number was increasing.
“I feel like I see people in their early 40s, late 30s with symptoms that are certainly cause for concern for potentially underlying colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Mark Wells, specialist in gastroenterology.
Colorectal cancer is the third largest cancer death in men and women according to the American Cancer Society. While colorectal cancer deaths decline in people over 50, rates are increasing in people under 50.
“Overall, the burden of colorectal cancer is still high due to the increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in young people,” said Dr. Wells.
Erik hasn’t had cancer for two years. On Tuesday, after surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, Nickie underwent regular screening and learned that she had also been cancer-free for two years.
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