how colorectal cancer screening turned ottawa man's stomach pain into life-saving diagnosis
4 minute read
ontario has lowered the screening age for colorectal cancer from 50 to 45. michael groves, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 49, says that change could spare others from going through what he did.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
stay up to date on this topic
for michael groves, what began as stomach pain turned into a diagnosis that changed his life.
the then-49-year-old thought he might have appendicitis when he went to the emergency room in early 2021. a scan ruled that out, and after the pain subsided, he returned to his normal routine.
then his family doctor ordered a colonoscopy after he noticed blood in his stool.
“when i woke up from that colonoscopy, they told me i had a five-centimetre tumour,” groves said. “the idea that it could be colon cancer never even crossed my mind.”
within days, he was undergoing scans and blood tests. in less than two weeks, surgeons removed about a foot of his colon. he was diagnosed with stage 3b colorectal cancer.
the cancer had spread to two lymph nodes. he then underwent six months of chemotherapy that kept him away from work for almost a year.
now living a normal life five years later, groves believes ontario’s recent decision to lower the routine colorectal cancer screening age from 50 to 45 could spare others from going through what he did.
as of july 1, ontarians aged 45 to 74 who are considered at average risk are eligible for a free fecal immunochemical test, or fit, an at-home screening test that checks for hidden blood in the stool. people with abnormal results are referred for a colonoscopy.
michael groves is now living a normal life after being diagnosed with stage 3b colorectal cancer five years ago, at the age of 49. he had about a foot of his colon removed and underwent six months of chemotherapy.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
ontario is the second province, after prince edward island, to lower the routine screening age to 45.
“if i had been screened at 45, my tumour would almost certainly have been found earlier,” groves said.
colorectal cancer affects the colon or rectum, both parts of the large intestine. it often begins as small growths called polyps that can develop into cancer over time if left untreated.
screening can detect and remove those polyps before they become cancerous, helping prevent the disease altogether.
sponsored by:
wellspring cancer support
advertisement
the change in screening age comes as doctors around the world are noticing a troubling trend of diagnoses increasing in younger people.
dr. rebecca auer, executive vice-president of research and innovation at the ottawa hospital and a colorectal cancer surgeon, said the evidence supporting the lower screening age has become hard to ignore.
“we’re seeing earlier colon cancer now than we were in the past,” auer said. “particularly in the 45-to-50 age demographic, it’s essentially as common as it is in people between 50 and 55.”
researchers are still trying to understand why colorectal cancer is becoming more common among younger adults, auer said.
“it probably has to do with early-life exposures to things like ultra-processed diets, less fibre intake and changes in the microbiome — that’s the bacteria in your colon,” she said. “we don’t know exactly what is causing it.”
auer warned against assuming the disease affects only people with obvious risk factors.
“i see patients as young as in their early 20s with colon cancer,” she said. “it’s definitely not as common, but just because you’re in your 20s, 30s or early 40s doesn’t mean you can assume it’s nothing.”
she urged anyone experiencing symptoms such as blood in the stool or significant changes in bowel habits to seek medical attention.
“you should make sure you’re properly investigated,” auer said.
she also stressed that people with a first-degree relative, such as a parent, sibling or child, who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer follow a different screening pathway and speak with their doctor.
barry stein, president and ceo of colorectal cancer canada, said ontario’s decision is a big win after years of advocacy.
“all canadians who were born after 1980 seem to be two times more likely to be diagnosed with an early-onset form of colorectal cancer compared to older generations when they were the same age,” stein said. “this addresses a very serious issue.”
advertisement
he said research suggests lowering the screening age could prevent thousands of cancer cases and deaths while reducing health-care costs by catching cancers before they require extensive treatment.
stein hopes other provinces will follow ontario’s recent move. he also wants people to take advantage of the new screening program.
“it’s a simple, home-based, non-invasive screening test,” stein said. “the best screening test is the one people will actually do.”
for groves, the policy change is deeply personal.
through support groups, he met many people diagnosed in their 40s. some have recovered. others are still undergoing treatment. some did not survive.
“i was healthy. i was running 10 kilometres. i was doing triathlons,” he said. “i didn’t feel like i was a sick person.”
his advice to anyone now eligible for screening is simple.
“don’t wait until you feel sick,” groves said. “just do the test. it’ll probably come back negative, and that’s great. but if it doesn’t, you get a head start on treating it before it becomes something much more serious.”
share story
