How early is too early?

Trudy

Member
One of our friends just found out their 30-year-old daughter has colon cancer. She is undergoing chemotherapy after some preliminary surgery. She had not done any screening or tests before she began having trouble, but who else has at that young an age? How early should people have a colonoscopy? I thought the recommended age was 50 or even 60.
 

Greenwoman

Member
I know that they must be going through a rough time right about now. It's always better to be safe than sorry, so I could understand undergoing a colonoscopy earlier just for safety and protection's sake.
 

Valerienne

Member
I'm so sorry, it's so terrible to fight this awful disease when you should be thinking of the life ahead of you.

I don't think there's a threshold age. The risk increases with age, but there's never a 100% guarantee that it won't hit you sooner. The only early screenings I know of are for breast and cervical cancer, which are recommended as early as in a woman's twenties.
 

chabella

All Lady
I checked with a doctor about this for my husband this past week and the doctor said for men the age is 40 pending there is no history of it. I had also heard 50 too which is why I wanted to check with a doctor. I am not sure if the same ages apply to women though.
 

Hyacinth

Member
Stories like this are really heartbreaking. My aunt's friend lost a daughter because of cancer. The daughter was in her early thirties when she passed away and left a very young child. I heard that people age 50 and over are encouraged to have colonoscopy, but if you have a higher risk for colon cancer then you can have it earlier.
 
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