Chadwick Boseman’s widow issued colon cancer warning to young people as easy to miss signs are revealed
Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in 2020
Chadwick Boseman’s widow has issued a colon cancer warning to young people who are ‘vastly underestimating’ the disease.
The Black Panther star passed away from colon cancer, also known as bowel cancer, in 2020 after a secret diagnosis in 2016.
He was just 43 when he died and Taylor Simone Ledward-Boseman says young adults need to keep a look out for the early warning signs.
What is colon cancer?
Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in 2020 (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)
Colon cancer, or bowel cancer, is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK and can be found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum.
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, colon cancer is the 3rd most common cancer worldwide
In 2022, there were 1,926,425 new cases of colorectal cancer world-wide and accounts for 10 per cent of all cases.
Cancer Research UK reported that bowel cancer rates are increasing amongst adults between 20 and 50, averaging to be up 7.3 per cent each year for in 30 to 39 year olds.
Colon cancer symptoms
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer (Getty Stock Images)
Here are nine symptoms to be wary of, according to the NHS:
changes in your pooing habits
blood in your poo (may look red or black)
bleeding from your bottom
often feeling like you need to poo even if you’ve just been to the toilet
tummy pain
a lump in your tummy
bloating
losing weight without trying
feeling very tired for no reason
Colon cancer warning
Chadwick Boseman was just 43 when he died and Taylor Simone Ledward-Boseman says young adults need to keep a look out for the early warning signs (Eric McCandless via Getty Images)
With cases rising every year, Boseman’s widow has cautioned that the cancer is treatable if caught early enough.
At the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, Ledward-Boseman said: “Colon cancer is killing young people across the country, and most are vastly underestimating their risk.
“I’ve seen how this disease moves, and I know now how treatable it is when it’s detected early.
“My personal advocacy stems from this understanding, and from the disappointment I feel in the lack of awareness in my community.
She added: “We who have this knowledge have an obligation to inform our fellow man. Spreading awareness will save lives.”
Dr Kimmie Ng – an expert in the cancer at Dana-Farber – said: “The alarming rise in young-onset colorectal cancer underscores the urgent need for heightened awareness, early detection and comprehensive research to understand the underlying causes and develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.
“Facing young-onset colorectal cancer requires not only resilience but also advocacy.
“We are thankful to Simone Ledward-Boseman for bravely sharing her personal experience as a caretaker.
“Her continued support for awareness-raising efforts honours the incredible legacy of her late husband, Chadwick Boseman.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Featured Image Credit: Eric McCandless via Getty Images/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney
Alarming reason little-known form of cancer is surging in cases with people under-30
Younger people are more prone to getting cancer now than ever before, according to Cancer Research UK
There is a form of cancer that is rising rapidly among those under 30 for a particular reason, experts have said.
The health condition is rising in younger people, as well as bowel, breast and lung cancer, with Cancer Research UK revealing an 84 percent increase in the condition in Brits aged 24 to 49 since the 1990s.
It isn’t exclusive to the age group, however, as it affects the whole population, but it looks like this age group has seen the largest increase.
And health experts have revealed that one factor in particular is to blame for this as it is a gastrointestinal issue.
There’s a leading cause to the increase in cancer diagnoses among young people (Getty Stock Photo)
It’s all to do with subtle changes to bacteria in your gut, which is affected by the factor in question.
Cancer risk increases as you get older, with it becoming much higher once you pass 50, according to Cancer Research UK, but it looks like there is a concerning increase in early onset cancers, with more people being diagnosed under 50.
The type of cancer that is increasing specifically for young people for is gallbladder cancer and though little known, it’s worth noting what the main causes behind it might be.
Where is the gallbladder?
The gallbladder is an organ the size of an apple located near the liver, known for storing bile, which is a substance that helps our body break down fats that we ingest, according to the National Health Institute (NIH).
Though gallbladder cancer is rare, with 1,000 cases in the UK annually, it’s on the rise among younger people, as more than twice as many young adults get the disease than 30-or-so years ago, Cancer Research UK says.
How many people are getting gallbladder cancer?
There are still only 35 cases among those aged 25 to 49 each year, though it is worrying that those in their 20s are becoming more prone to contracting the disease.
Professor Karol Sikora, an oncologist with 40 years’ experience, spoke to MailOnline and said that it’s all down to lifestyle as the increase began in the 90s.
The gallbladder is located by your liver (Getty Stock Photo)
What’s the cause behind the increase?
Professor Sikora, a former chief of the World Health Organization’s cancer programme, said that the age of patients have continued to get ‘lower and lower’.
He revealed the factor behind the increase in gallbladder cancer in young people – a modern diet.
The ultra-processed foods that are available to us are ruining our guts, as he explained that it’s also due to alcohol, pollution and junk food, which effects our microbiome in our gallbladder.
He explained: “It’s just impossible to measure…it’s a complex series of things that can affect it.”
The professor explained that it was interesting to see the trend in the generation that aim to drink less and eat healthier, with the oncologist adding that eating fruit and vegetables while exercising regularly can help to avoid getting cancer.
What are the symptoms of gallbladder cancer?
Some symptoms can include jaundice, which is when the skin and eyes turn yellow, itchy skin, and obvious changes in the colour of your poo or urine.
Data shows that only a sixth of gallbladder cancer patients live 10 years following their diagnosis.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photos
Woman, 29, admits she missed early warning signs that led to heartbreaking cancer diagnosis
Jody Horne has urged others to not ignore the common symptoms of bowel cancer
A woman in her twenties has revealed that she missed the early signs of cancer until it was diagnosed five months later.
Jody Horne, now 34, from Melbourne, was diagnosed with bowel cancer just two weeks before her 29th birthday.
Up until that point, she was happy and healthy, living an enjoyable life Down Under.
She recognised that she had been feeling overly tired, and experienced some blood in her stools as well as discomfort, but put it to the back of her mind, not considering that it could have been a sign of something more serious.
Jody Horne was diagnosed with bowel cancer just two weeks before her 29th birthday. (Facebook/Jody Horne)
Her symptoms hadn’t been too severe, until she suffered a five-hour rectal bleed five months later.
This prompted her to visit an out-of-hours clinic where a doctor told her to ‘go to Emergency if the bleeding didn’t stop soon, and if it did, to see a gastroenterologist’.
While the bleeding eventually stopped, Jody made an appointment to see a gastroenterologist who performed a sigmoidoscopy a couple of weeks later.
A sigmoidoscopy can screen for rectal cancers, and on Jody’s scan it detected a polyp.
Jody was asked to have a colonoscopy to have the polyp removed, but this is when medics discovered a tumour.
After a biopsy confirmed the tumour was cancerous, Jody was diagnosed with Stage 2 rectal cancer.
Speaking to 7Life, she said: “I was young and enjoying life and then the carpet pulled out from underneath me.
“I felt shocked and numb.
She’s urged others to not ignore the common symptoms of bowel cancer. (Facebook/Jody Horne)
“It was an incredibly upsetting experience.”
After receiving the heartbreaking news, she found herself delivering it on the phone to her loved-ones.
Jody described it as ‘the most awful’ thing to have to ring her parents, family, and friend to tell them about her diagnosis.
As part of her treatment for the cancer, she also underwent a ‘life-saving’ temporary ileostomy during two major surgeries, as well as treatments such as fertility preservation to freeze her eggs for future plans to have children.
Jody added: “Having a family will look very different now (surrogacy or adoption) from how I might have imagined it to look.”
Thankfully the treatment was successful and Jody is now cancer-free. However, she is now urging for others to look out for earlier symptoms.
She stressed: “There’s no taboo about poo, it’s just an aspect of our health; we need to talk more about it and we need to break down the stigma.
“Blood is never normal in your stool. If it’s a lot or a little it’s always worth investigating.”
The NHS has advice of what to do if you experience symptoms of bowel cancer here.
Symptoms of bowel cancer after doctor who diagnosed herself with disease discovered two ‘mild’ warning signs
It’s one of the most common cancers in the UK
After a doctor diagnosed herself with a common cancer, let’s look into the full list of symptoms.
Lauren Juyia was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer after discovered two ‘mild’ warning signs. The US-based gynaecologist went for an ultrasound after spotting them which found large masses in her ovary.
It grew rapidly from 8cm to 24cm in just two weeks and she told Good Morning America in 2023: “I had never seen anything benign, meaning not cancer, grow that fast before. So we kind of knew, deep down, that this was not going to be good.”
These masses spread and led to her colon cancer diagnosis.
Lauren was 37 when she was diagnosed (Instagram/@thebenigngyn)
What is bowel cancer?
According to the NHS, it’s a cancer found anywhere in the large bowel – including the colon and rectum. It’s often also referred to as colon or rectal cancer.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK with almost 44,000 people diagnosed with every year according to Bowel Cancer UK.
What are the symptoms?
The main symptoms of bowel cancer may include:
changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
blood in your poo, which may look red or black
bleeding from your bottom
often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
tummy pain
a lump in your tummy
bloating
losing weight without trying
feeling very tired for no reason
People with bowel cancer may also have anaemia which is when you have fewer red blood cells than usual. This can lead to you feeling very tired, short of breath and experiencing headaches.
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Blood in your poo is a red flag. (Getty Stock)
Dr Juyia’s symptoms
Differently, she didn’t experience the typical symptoms, such as blood in her stool, but noticed a ‘pelvic heaviness’, which turned into a ‘pelvic mass’.
“Having a background in obstetrics, we describe size by weeks of pregnancy and so I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have a 16-week-size mass.’ From experience, I could tell that this was my ovary,” she said.
And looking back, she said: “I was a little tired in the afternoon for about two months previous to this and as a mum with two little kids – I had been recently nursing them, they were still waking up in the night, I work full time – I didn’t think anything of saying, ‘Oh, I think I need a tea in the afternoon’.
“Whereas maybe someone in their 50s or 60s would be much more tired from stage four tumours taking up their energy.”
The doctor began chemotherapy treatment following her diagnosis and underwent surgery in March 2023.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Featured Image Credit: instagram/thebenigngyn / Getty stock
Topics: Cancer, Health
Jess Battison
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Doctor who diagnosed herself with stage four colon cancer reveals two ‘mild’ warning signs she discovered
The gynaecologist from Florida has opened up about the two worrying symptoms that lead to her cancer diagnosis
A doctor who diagnosed herself with stage four colon cancer has shared the two ‘mild’ symptoms she discovered.
US-based gynaecologist Lauren Juyia was diagnosed in August 2022 when she started to notice a couple of changes to her body.
Aged 37 at the time, the doctor went to HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital to undergo an ultrasound, which revealed large masses in her ovary.
A mass is a lump in the body, and although it doesn’t always mean cancer, the quicker it grows, the more worrying it can be.
Lauren was 37 when she was diagnosed (Instagram/@thebenigngyn)
Just two weeks later, Dr Juyia’s mass had grown from 8cm to 24cm.
“I had never seen anything benign, meaning not cancer, grow that fast before,”she told Good Morning America in 2023.
“So we kind of knew, deep down, that this was not going to be good.
“And we suspected ovarian cancer of course, because it was the ovaries being the masses.”
A month on, the masses had spread to her ovaries, uterus, omentum, appendix, and abdominal area.
What is colon cancer?
Colon cancer, or bowel cancer, is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK and can be found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum.
Dr Juyia’s symptoms
The doctor first noticed a mass in her pelvis (Getty Stock Images)
While symptoms usually range from having blood in the stool, irregular poos and weight loss, Dr Juyia didn’t experience any of these.
Instead she noticed a ‘pelvic heaviness’, which turned into a ‘pelvic mass’.
“Having a background in obstetrics, we describe size by weeks of pregnancy and so I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have a 16-week-size mass.’ From experience, I could tell that this was my ovary,” she said.
“I was a little tired in the afternoon for about two months previous to this and as a mum with two little kids – I had been recently nursing them, they were still waking up in the night, I work full time – I didn’t think anything of saying, ‘Oh, I think I need a tea in the afternoon’,” she said after getting her colon cancer diagnosis.
“Whereas maybe someone in their 50s or 60s would be much more tired from stage 4 tumours taking up their energy.”
Following her cancer diagnosis, she began chemotherapy treatment and carried on working to get her mind off the ordeal.
She underwent surgery in March 2023 and, thankfully, there has been ‘no evidence of disease’.
“People that are younger than the screening age (45) should still be paying attention to our symptoms because we’re not eligible for screening usually,” she explained.
“We might not have any symptoms because we are young, our bodies are more resilient. We can tolerate more symptoms.”
