A 28-year-old new mother, whose symptoms were dismissed as a ‘normal part of pregnancy’, has been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

A New Jersey woman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer at age 28 after doctors described her symptoms as “part of pregnancy.”

Kelly Spell, 31, was eight months pregnant with her first child when she began suffering from constipation and blood in her stool.

The doctors assured her that it was normal, because she was about to give birth. But after eight months, her bowel habits continued to deteriorate. However, the doctors insisted that the changes were due to having just had a baby.

When doctors finally ordered a colonoscopy, they discovered stage III colorectal cancer, which had exploded into an epidemic among young Americans.

“I felt so overwhelmed, it made me second guess what I was really feeling because I was being ignored,” Ms. Spell told TODAY.com.

“When you don’t have someone listening to you, it’s really hard to keep going.”

Blood in the stool, the most common symptom among young people with colorectal cancer, is attributed to hemorrhoids of pregnancy, which can affect up to one in three pregnant women, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Even after giving birth, doctors assured her that this was a symptom of a normal postpartum. She was still constipated, and the blood in her stool was dark and sticky rather than bright red.

Ms. Spell was also in the middle of moving from California to New Jersey at the time, so she thought stress might be the cause.

However, when her son was five months old, the symptoms became more worrisome. She lost her appetite, became full after just one bite, and lost seven pounds.

One day, there was a “pool of blood” in the toilet. That’s when I realized something was wrong.

And in the emergency room, doctors told Sabeel to stop eating spicy foods.

After seeing another primary care physician and a gastroenterologist, she finally had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer.

In the parking lot, she broke down in tears.

Colorectal cancer rates are on the rise all over the world, especially among young people.

Rates are expected to double in people under the age of 50 in the United States by 2030, and colorectal cancer is also projected to become the leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans under the age of 50 by the end of the decade.

This is based on data from Gamma surgeryWhich found that between 2010 and 2030, colon cancer will rise by 90% in people ages 20 to 34. Rectal cancer will rise by 124% in the same age group.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common type in the United States and the third leading cause of death for both men and women.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that about 153,000 cases of colorectal cancer will be detected this year, including 19,500 among those under the age of 50.

About 52,550 people are expected to die from the disease.

Experts are still working to uncover the cause of this devastating epidemic.

They have usually blamed unhealthy diets, alcohol consumption, and sedentary lifestyles for the shift.

A study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic indicated that eating red meat and sugar can lead to an increased chance of colorectal cancer in young people.

However, some research indicates otherwise.

2021 StadyFor example, it found that patients with early-stage cancer were less likely to be obese or smoke than their older counterparts.

a A study published in April He studied how delivery by caesarean section affected the chance of developing colorectal cancer at its onset. The researchers found that females who delivered via caesarean section were more likely to develop colorectal cancer early in life than those who delivered vaginally. There was no association between males.

In addition, the use of antibiotics has been shown to affect this risk. One Stady Gut magazine found that long-term use of antibiotics increases the risk of early-stage colon cancer. However, it has also been associated with a reduced risk of rectal cancer.

One study showed that the fungus Cladosporium sp. It was more common in tumors of young patients than in older individuals.

It is still not clear how Cladosporium sp. It can lead to this increase in cases, but researchers believe it can also lead to damage to a cell’s DNA. This can turn them into cancerous cells.

These environmental factors have a lasting effect on the gut microbiome, which experts believe can increase the risk of colorectal cancer, even when exposure is limited early in life.

At the time of her diagnosis, Ms. Spell was told by doctors that it was time to preserve her eggs before chemotherapy and radiation so she could have another child at a later date. She and her partner were also planning to get married in Switzerland. When I asked the doctor if she could still do it, he said, “Not at all.”

As she was preparing for treatment, a nurse asked her if she would like to participate in a clinical trial of an immunotherapy drug. If this shrinks the tumor, she can skip chemotherapy and radiation.

The trial is still ongoing and has enrolled 42 patients so far. It involves patients receiving dostarlimab by infusion every three weeks for six months.

Ms. Spell noticed a difference after her second injection and “felt good”.

After four treatment sessions, her tumor was cut in half.

By the ninth treatment, the tumor had completely disappeared. She said it was probably the best day of her life.

Ms. Spell is not the only young patient whose symptoms have been dismissed by doctors.

Part of what makes diagnosing colorectal cancer difficult are its symptoms, which are often attributed to other conditions. However, some stand out more than others.

A study published earlier this year in Journal of the National Cancer Institute The most frequently reported symptoms were abdominal pain, blood in the stool, diarrhea, and iron deficiency anemia.

Additionally, in a 2020 survey by Colorectal Cancer AllianceAnd 68% of the participants said they had blood in the stool. The average age of the participants was 42 years.

The same survey also found that many patients with symptoms of colorectal cancer were initially misdiagnosed or dismissed.

Going longer periods of time without a diagnosis can allow colorectal cancer to progress to later stages, making it more difficult to treat.

Mrs. Spell has since married and has given birth to her second child, a daughter named Maya Grace. They also encourage others to speak up when they feel something is not right.

She said, “Follow your gut when you feel like something is going on in your body.” ‘Really defend yourself, and keep pushing.’