Colon Health

Unexpected Battle: Facing Colorectal Cancer at a Young Age

Abi­gail L. faced an unex­pect­ed health cri­sis after mov­ing from Arkansas to attend col­lege in Quin­cy. What seemed like typ­i­cal adjust­ment symp­toms — fatigue, weight loss, and feel­ing cold — turned out to be warn­ing signs of some­thing much more seri­ous. After falling asleep unex­pect­ed­ly at work, Abi­gail sought help at QMG Now Urgent Care, lead­ing to a colonoscopy at the QMG Surgery Cen­ter. There, she received a life-alter­ing diag­no­sis: col­orec­tal can­cer. Though rare for some­one so young, her case reflects a ris­ing trend of younger adults diag­nosed with the disease.

Colonoscopy vs. At-Home Test: Understanding the Differences

Pre­vent­ing colon can­cer begins with screen­ing, which is rec­om­mend­ed for most indi­vid­u­als start­ing at age 45. While there are sev­er­al screen­ing options avail­able, colonoscopy remains the most effec­tive. Not only can it detect can­cer ear­ly, but it can also help pre­vent it alto­geth­er. Dr. Adam Nie­mann, a gas­troen­terol­o­gist at Quin­cy Med­ical Group, explains why colonoscopy is the gold stan­dard and how it com­pares to oth­er com­mon screen­ing methods.

Colorectal Cancer Awareness: A Growing Concern for Younger Adults

Col­orec­tal can­cer has long been thought to main­ly affect old­er adults, but in recent years, more younger indi­vid­u­als — those in their 20s and 30s — have been diag­nosed with the dis­ease. Dr. Kar­tikeya Tri­pathi, a gas­troen­terol­o­gist at Quin­cy Med­ical Group (QMG), is ded­i­cat­ed to rais­ing aware­ness about this grow­ing trend. He shares valu­able advice on how to stay proac­tive in pre­vent­ing the dis­ease, regard­less of age.

Saving Lives: A Conversation on Colorectal Cancer

Col­orec­tal can­cer is the third most com­mon­ly diag­nosed can­cer in both men and women. Despite its preva­lence, the dis­ease and its asso­ci­at­ed health con­cerns can be uncom­fort­able to talk about. How­ev­er, it’s an impor­tant con­ver­sa­tion to have. We did just that with Quin­cy Med­ical Group Gas­troen­terol­o­gist Dr. Kar­tikeya Tri­pathi, who answered ques­tions relat­ed to col­orec­tal can­cer, includ­ing pre­ven­tion, diag­no­sis, and its treatment.