SEATTLE — Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in both men and women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
Unfortunately, Marcio Torre is one of them. He spent five days at UW Medical Center recovering from surgery where tumors were removed from his colon and liver.
"I think my body's better off now than it was five, six months ago," Torre said.
He first noticed rectal bleeding in 2013, but he ignored it. He said he thought it was just a hemorrhoid.
He was 43 years old at the time and had no family history of cancer. Torre said that in a short period of time his condition got progressively worse as he was diagnosed with stage four colon and prostate cancer.
"I never thought this was going to happen, you know? I think cancer was my biggest fear. It's here. I have two aggressive forms, not just one," Torre said.
Doctors have been treating him with both chemotherapy and surgery. They're optimistic about his outcome. He's fighting cancer with his family's support and he said he wants to be there for his family's milestones.
"Watching them get married, helping them in the selection process for college, helping them with school and education," Torre explained.
Younger people are getting colon cancer at an increasing rate. In fact, new guidelines from the American Cancer Society suggest you start screenings at 45 years-old instead of 50.
"I am seeing increasingly people that are now in their 20s, 30s and…actually have a couple people who are in their teens," Dr. Mukta Krane, Colorectal Surgery Chief at UW Medicine, said.
Mukta explained researchers are working hard to figure out why this is happening.
"There's no definitive genetic abnormality that we're seeing," Mukta said. "In fact, the amount of increase we're seeing in a relatively short period of time kind of weighs against this being genetic, but potentially something environmental, but we don't know what that is in our environment unfortunately."
That's why Torres said he wants to share his story, especially since he's a physician. Now Torre advises people to listen to their bodies and said he regrets dismissing the initial symptoms.
He said he hopes others can learn from his situation. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be over 100,000 new cases diagnosed this year.
Colon cancer is treatable if caught early, and treatment has improved significantly in the last five years. If you have any sort of symptoms, like rectal bleeding or changes in your stool, schedule an appointment with your doctor to get them checked out.