Young people claim doctors are missing signs of bowel cancer

Young people in Australia are increasingly facing bowel cancer diagnoses, with many reporting that doctors dismissed their symptoms as being too young for the disease. Georgie Cauchi, in her 20s, experienced debilitating symptoms including pain and blood in her stool for years, but was repeatedly told she was too young, with her condition attributed to hemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome.

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I was told not to worry about it, I was too young and just to move on with my life.

"I was told not to worry about it, I was too young and just to move on with my life," Cauchi said. Her experience is becoming more common, with growing numbers of individuals in their 20s and 30s diagnosed with early-onset bowel cancer. This form of the disease is noted to be more aggressive, potentially caused by different factors, and appears to affect young women particularly hard.

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At one stage I thought I had a lactose intolerance, I never thought that I would be looking at a stage three bowel cancer diagnosis.

Researchers are urgently trying to understand the surge in young people diagnosed with bowel cancer. Current investigations are exploring the microbiome, the impact of antibiotics, and the role of microplastics, but clear answers remain elusive. Cauchi, who eventually received a stage three bowel cancer diagnosis at 30, underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, expressing frustration with the system that delayed her diagnosis.

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I had trusted my doctors ... but the symptoms kept getting worse over the years to the point where I was struggling to get out of bed.

Bryce Wilson, a Wiradjuri man, also faced a delayed diagnosis. At just 28, cancer had already spread to his liver. Doctors initially attributed his symptoms to work-related stress, testing him for various conditions but not bowel cancer over several months. His experience highlights a systemic issue where age can be a barrier to appropriate medical investigation for this disease.

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Looking back, I'm very frustrated at the system. The surgeries, the chemotherapy that I went through, most likely didn't need to happen should I have had a colonoscopy when I first presented with those symptoms.