Due to a scarcity of hospital beds on oncology floors, patients with colon cancer are now being accommodated on other wards.
Hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of colon cancer cases, leading to newly diagnosed patients being placed in the cardiac department as there are no available beds on oncology floors.
There has been a significant increase of 500% in colon cancer cases among children aged 10 to 14 and a 333% surge among teenagers aged 15 to 19.
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More teenagers are using colostomy bags post-surgery for colon cancer treatment. An ostomy is a surgical opening in the large intestine used to collect stool in a pouch.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of death among young adults.
Dr. Islam Mohamed, the lead researcher, highlighted that colorectal cancer is no longer confined to the elderly population, based on his research utilizing 22 years of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. John Marshall emphasized the need to avoid panic regarding this issue and mentioned the notable increase in young patients diagnosed with colon cancer over the past few decades.
He shared his observation of treating patients under 50, indicating a shift towards a younger demographic seeking treatment.
Dr. Marshall, from the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown University, recounted treating a patient as young as 15 and sadly losing a 17-year-old patient before her high school graduation.