LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — 26-year-old Kylie Patterson has lived in Las Vegas for about eight years. She was living in Australia when she got the news: stage four colorectal cancer.
Now, she’s back in Las Vegas, fighting for her life and telling her story in hopes it will save someone from the pain and suffering she’s endured.
Patterson says she had symptoms of what she thought was irritable bowel syndrome for about a year. She saw a doctor, then waited to see a gastroenterologist.
“That waiting period drug out for a few months, I was getting progressively sicker, having worse symptoms. Then I ended up in the ER,” said Patterson. “They found whenever they did a colonoscopy that it was stage four colorectal cancer that had spread quite significantly.”
Patterson receives chemo every two weeks and is looking into surgical options. It’s a reality she never thought she’d face at 26 years old.
“I think that’s why I went misdiagnosed for so long. I was misdiagnosed as having ulcerative colitis multiple times,” Patterson added.
Now, she’s urging everyone to move quickly when you notice a change in your body.
“If you have any symptoms that persist longer than two weeks, any symptoms at all, go see a doctor.”
A message echoed by Dr. Fadi Braiteh, a medical oncologist at Comprehensive cancer Centers in Las Vegas. He’s been treating gastrointestinal cancer for patients in Las Vegas for 14 years.
“There is an increase in the younger patient population, and this is very troublesome,” Dr. Braiteh said. “From around 150,000 patients, 20,000 of those are 50 years or younger.”
According to the American Cancer Society, compared to a decade ago, nearly double the number of adults under 55 are being diagnosed with colon cancer and more are dying from the disease each year.
The recommended age for colorectal cancer screenings is now 45.
Dr. Braiteh says not to dismiss symptoms of blood in stool, or bowel habit changes like alternating diarrhea and constipation. If it lasts more than two weeks, talk to your doctor.
Dr. Braiteh says not only is he seeing younger patients, the disease also appears more aggressive.
“Even from stage to stage, there is tendency to see the cancers more aggressive, as I mentioned, [it’s] happening at an earlier age, more advanced stage, and even response to treatment may be disappointing as well,” Dr. Braiteh said.
Researchers are racing to find out why this is happening. Dr. Braiteh says risk factors like inflammatory bowel disease or hereditary forms of cancer are not the cause.
Some may point to the rise of processed food in the modern diet, but that hasn’t been proved.
It’s easy to blame it, it’s hard to confirm it,” Dr. Braiteh added.
Dr. Braiteh says it’s a good idea for people of all ages to increase fiber intake and reduce the amount of red meat in your diet.
