GROUNDBREAKING research conducted in Australia has shed light on the challenges faced by younger individuals exhibiting symptoms of bowel cancer. The study reveals that these patients often find themselves advocating for their own health, as they encounter age bias and barriers to diagnosis.
Published in the BMJ Open and BMC Primary Care, the research is the first of its kind to explore the perspectives of early-onset bowel cancer patients in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Dr Klay Lamprell, Chief Investigator at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, expressed that young people with bowel cancer experience similar difficulties worldwide. Due to their age, they are frequently overlooked in relation to this type of cancer. The research discovered that younger patients may consult multiple doctors for a period ranging from three months to five years before receiving a diagnosis. In some cases, they may visit general practitioners (GPs) 10 or more times. Even when presenting symptoms such as blood in their stool or rectal bleeding, GPs may not immediately refer them to specialists for further testing, exacerbating the delay in diagnosis. The diagnostic trajectories of early-onset bowel cancer patients differ from those diagnosed at a later stage. Diagnosis in younger individuals can take up to 60% longer, with numerous missed opportunities for detection, resulting in a higher likelihood of being diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease. Late-stage diagnosis often necessitates more aggressive treatment, leading to physical, psychosocial, and quality of life challenges, particularly in relation to fertility and ostomy management.