Question about EC diagnosis increase

craziness
Crazy, we got the same statistic! My dad just turned 50. is white and is in pretty good shape-- aside from a couple minor disc issues and a bit of high blood pressure (and the reflux, of course), he's a picture of health-- not overweight or diabetic or at risk for anything... total mystery I guess. I think that was why the docs deterred him so much from looking online at statistics...he's so outside the typical demographic that the stats really don't accurately depict his physiology. Strange for sure.

Someone told me once that people who live around the great lakes are more statistically prone to certain medical problems, Vitamin D deficiencies, thyroid disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer... weird, not sure why-- something in the drinking water?


Up all night with LeeinLondon! (you need a tv show!)
-Alissa

preacherchad said:

Lee;
I got very similar
Lee;

I got very similar facts from my oncologist. We were not told race of patients. We have also heard during this whole treatment process that more and more young white males are being dx. (55 years old and younger). It must be very frustrating to researchers, when everything you have studied takes and sharp turn and you have to start over.

Hope you are doing well, and we pray for you daily.


chad

Getting diagnosed younger
2 days ago here in Sydney I heard a news report that researchers have found that our parents/grandparents got cancers at a certain older age, but researchers are now seeing children, grandkids, greatgrandkids getting the same cancers at younger ages. That struck a chord with me as my paternal grandmother got EC at 69 and I got it at 35!!

mruble said:

We heard this as well
When we went back to see Chad's primary doctor about a year after the EC diagnosis, he told us that in the past year he had seen three "young" men receive the same diagnosis. Prior to Chad being diagnosed, his primary would have likely treated them for reflux without too much thought, given their ages. Fortunately, he's now much more aware and much more proactive in dealing with reflux, regardless of the person's age. I so hope that increased awareness will lead to increased funding so researchers can figure out the cause.

Mary

Age and EC
I was diagnosed at age 33 a couple of months ago so i understand the shock since none of my Dr.'s suspected anything more than an ulcer given my age.

My Radiation Oncologist said he once had a patient who had this at 19 years of age.

What's weird for me is when I go to my cancer clinic there is no one even close to my age. In fact I think the average age is close to 70!

Which is why its great to have a forum like this.

Callaloo said:

I think the consensus is
I think the consensus is coming around to the belief that acid reflux and Barrett's disease are major culprits in the increase --- it's basically a big change in lifestyle in the last 20 years, diet, work, breakdown in the family, general urban stress.... I've already started my 30-year-old son on getting an annual endoscopy, which his doctor fully agreed with, given his family history and lifestyle (young associate in large downtown Chicago law firm). In his first endoscopy they found precursers of some sort, so he's taking precautions.

We were told the same
The only good thing I can see from the increase in cases is that maybe there will be more funding and interest in additional research to find better options for those who get this awful disease.

mruble said:

We heard this as well
When we went back to see Chad's primary doctor about a year after the EC diagnosis, he told us that in the past year he had seen three "young" men receive the same diagnosis. Prior to Chad being diagnosed, his primary would have likely treated them for reflux without too much thought, given their ages. Fortunately, he's now much more aware and much more proactive in dealing with reflux, regardless of the person's age. I so hope that increased awareness will lead to increased funding so researchers can figure out the cause.

Mary

EC cause research
When I went to the hospital yesterday for my pre-Admission testing for my 9/23 MIE, the first thing we did was spend some time with a young Clinical Research Assistant in the General Cancer Center's,Center for Thoracic Cancers. Tey are conducting a comprehensive research project looking for some clues to the cause(s) of Esophageal and Stomach cancers. She gave me a 19 page survey form that asks for all kinds of questions about my eating & cooking habits, smoking history, family cancer history (1 breast cancer, 1 testicular cancer and 1 prostate cancer), my history of reflux...lots of stuff. So at least they're doing some research. My son is 25 and had recurring indigestion during his teens, and I don't want him to have to worry about this dreadful disease.

Bob

chemosmoker said:

YES same told to us...
Lee,
Yes, my GI doctor told us way back in early June when I was first diagnosed that he has been doing nothing but GI work for 41 years, and back ten years ago all he saw was older people with Squamous cell types, and in the last decade he has seen a marked increase in young white males (I guess I qualify as that) with adnocarcinma like mine. Didn't know why or have any ideas. The cancer team at Vanderbilt said the EXACT same thing, as did the other three oncologists we saw in the interim.
Curious to read the other replies now and see what is known. Mine was caused by Barrett's Esophagus and not smoking or eating or anything I could have done dietary or otherwise to have prevented it. Just early detection is the ONLY way to stop it or survive.

Great Post!!
-Eric

Early detection
Good points Eric. Some posters here are vegetarians, some heavy smokers, some males, some females, some young, others not so young... I'm 61, don't eat much red meat, haven't smoked since my teens, lead a physically active life in the woods on Cape Cod...nothing in my life that jumps out as high-risk factors, yet here I am with EC. I was diagnosed with Barretts Esophagus 6 years ago and have been scoped every 3 years since, which led to my early adenocarcinoma detection. Now I've been telling my friends to get scoped, even if they have to lie to their doctor that they have reflux. Until the medical folks know more, as far as I know the only hope for surviving this disease is early detection, and at this point that means endoscopes.

Bob