UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology APRIL 2022 - Flipbook - Page 12
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
COLORECTAL CANCER:
A TROUBLING TREND
The radiation itself is very targeted, so that we can radiate the
cancer and spare the healthy tissue
The Thousand Oaks resident was
diagnosed with colorectal cancer at just
26, underscoring a troubling trend.
When Kyle McEwen, 26, started
experiencing extreme stomach pains more
than a year ago, he hoped that maybe it
was just the flu.
But as the symptoms continued for weeks,
he made an appointment with a general
practitioner near his home in Thousand
Oaks. That doctor concluded he was
probably just suffering from anxiety and
perhaps irritable bowel syndrome.
McEwen’s diagnosis underscored a trend
that doctors have been tracking in recent
years: More younger people are developing
colorectal cancer.
The problem has become so pronounced
that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
in 2021 lowered the recommended age for
colorectal cancer screenings to 45. The
American Cancer Society estimates there
will be 106,180 new cases of colon cancer
and 44,850 new cases of rectal cancer in
the U.S. in 2022.
McEwen is now undergoing treatment
from a multidisciplinary team at UCLA
Health.
"She prescribed me anti-anxiety
medication and thought that was it," he
said. "I admit that I have anxiety, but I
did not feel like anxiety was causing my
stomach issues – it didn't add up."
Following radiation, chemotherapy and
surgery, he’s optimistic that he can win the
battle against colorectal cancer and look
forward to a healthy future.
Determined to find answers, McEwen
made an appointment with Dr. Michael
Albertson, a UCLA gastroenterologist who
ordered a colonoscopy, a procedure that’s
rare for a patient so young.
It turned out that McEwen had an
adenocarcinoma – a malignant tumor in
his rectum.
“Even I could look at the images and tell
that something wasn’t right,” he said.
“There was this black object that obviously
did not belong there.”
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"I’m definitely glad that I pushed for my
own health, when something just didn't
feel right," he said. "It has been an awful
lot to go through, that's for sure. But I am
one of the lucky ones, and I feel really
grateful to have had a whole team that was
so dedicated to immediately taking care of
this for me."
For such a serious condition, it takes a
team of physicians to execute the best
possible treatment, said UCLA's Kevork
Kazanjian, MD, a colorectal surgery
