Colon Cancer Awareness

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Crystal clear coverage of The Drew Mariani Show is made possible in part by Charity Mobile. charitymobile.com.

The issues that matter most, right here. The Drew Mariani Show.

SPEAKER_2 (0:12)

On relevant radio.

SPEAKER_3 (0:17)

The number of colon cancer cases in US adults under the age of 54 has sharply increased over the last decade. And that's according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And it found that for every 100,000 Americans, more than nine were diagnosed with early stage colorectal cancer in 2019

That figure increased to 17.5 diagnoses per 100,000 in 2022 The sharp increase coincides with the US. Preventative Services Task Force's 2021 recommendation to move the starting age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 down to 45

SPEAKER_1 (0:53)

It's The Drew Mariani Show on relevant radio.

Drew Mariani (0:57)

Yeah, that was CBS News on the rise of colon cancer in young people. And I want to talk about this today. It's kind of interesting the way the show has worked out. If you missed any of it today, today was a great broadcast. Listen to our wine. We had a wonderful conversation on on addiction in its many forms, not just drugs and alcohol. And of course, you just heard those powerful testimonies that came in in the last half hour. It's been a day focused on healing. And I have a great privilege today of speaking with a friend of mine. His name is Dr. Jay Bosco. He's been on the air with us in the past. He's a gastroenterologist. And he and I have talked about, well, colon cancer last month, it was March, was colon cancer awareness month.

And I've seen a lot of ads on television recently, you know, about getting a blood test, right? So you don't have to go in and get scoped. You don't have to go through the whole process of the colonoscopy. And of course, you also have those tests where you can, you know, I guess, pass your stool and send that along for a test. The question are, how good are they? You might feel fine, no pain, no symptoms, but what if something serious is growing deep within side of you? And today, I want to talk about that, because that cancer, I mean, I feel until it's too late. Every year in the United States, about 150,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. That's a staggering number.

And Dr. Bosco can correct me on this, I had read somewhere 50,000 lives are lost a year. Stunning numbers. Jay, doctor, it's good to have you in studio with me. Welcome.

Dr. Jay Bosco (2:27)

It's great to be back. Thanks for inviting me.

Drew Mariani (2:29)

Those are stunning numbers. That 50,000 die a year?

Larry (2:32)

50,000 a year, yeah.

Dr. Jay Bosco (2:33)

Despite everything we're trying to do with it. Yeah, so it's the number two cancer killer overall, the number one cancer killer now in patients under the age of 50 So that's the most shocking news. So since I've been here last, there's been some new developments. I think you touched on a couple that we can talk about in more detail. The blood test, the moving the age down to 45, and then this...

Drew Mariani (3:03)

Well, let's start with basics. Let's do this. I want to get to all those things. By the way, if you're struggling with this, or you have not had a colonoscopy, or you've not had a test, I'll keep them anonymous. I know somebody, I work with somebody who's in their 60s and will not go get a colonoscopy. They will not do it. And I said to them, look, you're putting your life at risk by not doing that. People are moving on to new numbers, 45 Let's go back.

Why does somebody need a colonoscopy or to test for this? How common is this? Is it cancer in the colon?

And are there any symptoms, any side effects that people will be made aware of?

Dr. Jay Bosco (3:41)

Sure. So, yeah, it's a common diagnosis. And the beauty with colon cancer is that we have a lesion that is predictive of colon cancer. So not only can we detect it, but we actually can prevent it. So it's somewhat unique in that way, as far as other cancers that we diagnose. You know, as an example, breast cancer. We aren't able to detect or prevent breast cancer. We can detect it early to improve outcomes. But with colon cancer, the vast majority of colon cancers start as a polyp. We've all heard about polyps, you know. And many of us, when we have a colonoscopy, polyps are found. About 40% of the time, we do find polyps. And if you remove a polyp, then you reduce the risk of developing colon cancer in the future by 60%, 75%.