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Featured Image Credit: KSL News Utah
Topics: News, World News, Health, Cancer
Gerrard Kaonga
A doctor has given their verdict on what could be causing cancer in young people as they reflect on one twin being diagnosed with the deadly disease while the other wasn't.
Cancer can be life changing for a lot of people and while treatments and drugs have improved the way we deal with the disease, there is still a lot we don’t know about it.
A doctor has reflected on what could have possibly caused one twin to develop stage 4 colon cancer while her twin did not.
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Dr. Mark Lewis, a cancer survivor and director of gastrointestinal oncology at Intermountain Health explained that the scientific community is learning more and more about the causes of colon cancer.
There is also a growing trend in people under the age of 50 developing colon cancer according to the American Cancer Society.
Dr Lewis said: “There really is unfortunately no such thing as too young for colon cancer. About one in seven of the patients in my practice with colon cancer are under the age of 45."
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Speaking of the growing trend, the doctor suggested it could be due to lifestyle factors, genetics and most alarmingly, certain medications at young ages.
He said “Antibiotics in childhood and in adulthood can affect the bacteria that line the colon.
“We’re being very, very careful about prescribing antibiotics to young people because we do know there is at least a slight increased risk for colon cancer decades later.”
He added: “If you are willing to talk to your doctor about your gut health, I promise you we are going to be better at finding colon cancer sooner.”
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This could explain why Brinlee Luster, from Utah, developed colon cancer, and not her twin sister Mariela. However, neither sister has revealed whether one took antibiotics more so than the other growing up
The pair were used to doing everything together however in 2023, Brinlee had to deal with something that her sister wasn’t.
Two years ago, when she was 21, Brinlee had begun suffering 'severe abdominal cramping' and began to get tired and fatigued much easier than she did in the past.
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Before her diagnosis, doctors said her symptoms could be caused be a whole host of things, including her birth control and irritable bowel syndrom
Speaking to KSL TV, Brinlee admitted she initially dismissed the pains thinking it could be due to stress rather than a serious health issue.
She said: “I just thought, you know, I’m stressed, I’m planning my wedding, I’m about to graduate college, there’s a lot of changes.”
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However, her symptoms eventually worsened, and she got a colonoscopy and was told she had colon cancer.
Since her diagnosis, Brinlee has undergone 30 chemotherapy sessions and is currently beleived to be cancer free.
Mariela has since had a colonoscopy herself and had polyps, which can turn into cancer, removed and now praises her twin sister for saving her life.
She said: “I like to think that she really did save my life in a way because I was headed down that route.”