Woman, 26, who received ‘impossible' colon cancer diagnosis describes her symptoms
A 26-year-old woman has opened up about the symptoms she experienced before a devastating diagnosis.
Mrinali Dhembla couldn't believe it when she was told that she had colon cancer, and even said that the first thing she thought was simply that her doctor was wrong.
While cancer may be popularly considered to be a health condition that the vast majority of people don't need to worry about until they're older, one particular form is going against that perception.
Rates of colon cancer are rising in younger patients, which is cancer terms means people who are under the age of 50.
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Mrinali was diagnosed with stage three cancer which had spread to her spine as well.
She shared some of the symptoms that she was having before her diagnosis.
"I just thought my life was gonna end after months of aggravating back pain and fatigue," she told ABC's Good Morning America.
While horrible back pain and fatigue are something you would definitely go to the doctor for, they're not necessarily symptoms that would immediately make you think of cancer, unlike say a persistent cough or finding a lump.
Colon cancer is more difficult to spot than other forms of cancer as it often doesn't present with the kinds of symptoms that a non-medically trained person would associate with cancer.
That means that regular screenings are one reliable way to make sure that if you are unfortunate enough to get it, you can at least catch it earlier.
Recalling when she found out about her diagnosis, Mrinali said: "I still remember the doctor telling me that I had cancer, and my first instinct was to say that he was wrong.
"I said, 'That's not possible. I'm just 26 years old.'"
Fortunately, Mrinali was able to access a pioneering new form of treatment, and in July 2025 she was cancer free.
This was a course of immunotherapy treatment, which could apply to Mrinali after it was determined her cancer was due to a genetic condition known as Lynch Syndrome.
Dr. Nicholas Hornstein, an oncologist with Northwell Cancer Institute who treated Mrinali.
"Patients that have Lynch syndrome are excellent candidates for immunotherapy," she said.
"Because they have so many mutations in their cancer cells, it allows their immune system to recognize them, and they just need a little bit of a boost with immunotherapy to become effective at eradicating their tumors."
And even better than that, doctors think that immunotherapy is also good for not just treating cancer in the short term, but also more long term.
"The benefit we see from immunotherapy can last for decades. Patients who are able to eradicate their tumors, they tend to stay gone," said Hornstein.
Mrinali had three infusions of the treatment, and is now planning her wedding.
She said: "I just wish I had seen a doctor when I was constantly sick every day.
"Just listen to your body. If you're having symptoms, if you're sensing something unusual, just please go to a doctor."
Topics: News, Health, Cancer, Colon cancer
Kit Roberts