Turkey urges early colon cancer screening for young adults

Gastroenterology specialist Dr. Serdar Durak warned that stomach and colon cancers are now being diagnosed in people in their 20s and 30s, a shift from the traditional view that these diseases affect only older adults. He cautioned that young patients often dismiss blood in the stool as hemorrhoids, delaying diagnosis. "Ben gencim, kanser olmam düşüncesi tanıyı geciktiriyor," he said, noting the danger of this mindset.

The rise is linked to lifestyle changes such as increased obesity, processed‑meat consumption, sedentary habits, smoking and alcohol use. Because of the trend, screening guidelines have been lowered in Turkey, moving the start age for colon‑cancer tests from 50 to 45, with earlier checks advised for those with family history or symptoms. Colonoscopy can detect and remove precancerous polyps during the same procedure, preventing cancer development.

Doctors stress that any rectal bleeding, persistent abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, chronic anemia or nausea should prompt prompt gastro‑enterology evaluation rather than being assumed harmless.