Welcome to Wellness Sun Mass. I'm Dr. Nicole Sapphire. This is your weekly rundown. Well, we have a few

things to talk about today. I'm back from vacation, back in the hospital, and I am ready to update you on some things that came out this week.

First up, new reporting shows colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in Americans under 50. So let that sink in for a second.

For decades, we thought of colon cancer as a disease of the older of people who have aged,

something to worry about later in life. That's no longer true. What's especially concerning is that

many of these younger patients are being diagnosed late.

Symptoms get brushed off by patients, but also sometimes by their doctors.

Because, I don't know, you're too young for colon cancer, right?

That's what we think.

That's what we hear.

Things like rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, unexplained anemia, fatigue greater than usual. I know we're all tired.

These are not normal, no matter what your age is. So here's the takeaway. I really want people to hear this.

Early detection saves lives. If something feels off, trust your gut, literally. Advocate for yourself.

This rise did not happen overnight, and it's not due to one single cause. Lifestyle, diet, inflammation, environment, it's all contributing, and it's complicated.

Ignoring symptoms is something we can change right now. There is a reason that we are now recommending people at

average risk for colon cancer starting to get screened at the age of 45. No longer 50, no longer 55.

And by the way, if you have a family member who has had colon cancer, you may be eligible for

screening even younger than 45. And by the way, I know colonoscopies,

they don't sound fun. We also have other screening tools. We have CT scans. We have MRI scans.

We also have fecal blood tests to see if there's any blood in your stool. So don't let being

afraid or the sound of a colonoscopy scare you off. Early detection saves lives. All right. So now

let's shift to another topic. The NIH has announced it will no longer fund research using fetal

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