Some Hard Truths About Colon Cancer

Colon cancer takes the lives of approximately 50,000 indivuals each year and represents the second leading cause of deaths from cancer. There are over 146,000 people diagnosed with colon cancer each year. And while most people see colon cancer as a disease of the elderly this is far from accurate.

While it is true that the majority of individuals with colon cancer will not be diagnosed until age 50 or later, there are thousands who are diagnosed at a younger age. Statistics from 2002-2006 of reported cases of colon cancer revealed that:

• 0.1% are diagnosed before the age of 20. This means that approximately 150 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer before they even leave their teenage years.
• 1.1% are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 34. This shows that approximately 1,650 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer between their 20th and 34th birthday.
• 3.8% are diagnosed between the ages of 35 and 44. That translates into another 5,584 people will be diagnosed between the ages of 35 and 44.
• 12.0% are diagnosed between the ages of 45 and 54. Without a further breakdown it is difficult to state the exact percentage of those diagnosed between 45 and 49 but with a conservative estimate of approximately 5.0% this would mean at least another 7,300 individuals diagnosed before the age of 50.

This website is dedicated to those individuals. Many survive the cancer. Some do not. This website recounts the stories of at least some of these men, women, and even teenagers.

If you have a story you would like us to post of someone who was diagnosed with colon cancer prior to the age of fifty please email us the details, along with your full name and contact information to:

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