Patient, 56, dies from colon cancer after just ONE WEEK as doctors reveal key warning signs
EXCLUSIVE Patient, 56, dies from colon cancer after just ONE WEEK as doctors reveal key warning signs
A man diagnosed with colon cancer after just a week of symptoms died in one of the world's most aggressive cases.
The 56-year-old from Lebanon visited his local hospital after a week of constipation and bloating.
A colonoscopy revealed a cancerous tumor in his sigmoid colon, the lowest part of the colon that meets the rectum.
Doctors also found multiple lesions in the man's liver, suggesting the cancer was already 'at an advanced stage' despite symptoms starting so suddenly.
The man was diagnosed with a colonic sarcomatoid carcinoma, an extremely rare and aggressive cancer that can take over the body in just weeks.
No more than 50 cases like the man's have been reported in medical literature, and the disease is thought to kill most patients in less than six months.
In similar cases, patients have died just 30 days after being diagnosed with no time to receive treatments.
The unnamed man was unable to start chemotherapy before returning to the hospital days later with a fever. He died about a week later.
A 56-year-old man from Lebanon died of colonic sarcomatoid carcinoma after suffering symptoms for just one week before his diagnosis (stock image)
The above image shows cancerous lesions on the patient's liver from his cancer spreading
Writing in a medical journal this week, doctors treating the man said there is a 'huge need for further research' on colonic sarcomatoid carcinomas to develop treatments and stop the disease from becoming a death sentence.
Sarcomatoid carcinomas are made up of both carcinoma - cancer of the epithelial tissue, which lines organs - and sarcoma - cancer of connective tissues like bones.
It most commonly forms in the lungs, though it only makes up 0.1 percent of all lung tumors.
Doctors treating the man said sarcomatoid carcinomas are rare in the digestive tract. They're also the most aggressive with an average survival rate of five months.
The medical team noted this could be because these tumors are more likely to spread and be resistant to chemotherapy, and most patients are already at an advanced stage by the time they receive a diagnosis.
There are no specific treatment guidelines for sarcomatoid carcinomas.
Like more common forms of colon cancer, diet, sedentary lifestyle and conditions like diabetes and obesity can raise the risk of the disease by creating inflammation in the digestive tract, which leads to cell DNA damage and dangerous mutations forming.
The patient was a heavy smoker with high blood pressure, uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and an enlarged prostate. It's unclear if he had any genetic mutations linked to colon cancer.
Smoking also introduces about 7,000 carcinogens into the body that attack DNA and lead to polyps forming in the colon, which can turn into cancerous lesions.
The man's case comes as 154,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, including 20,000 under 50 years old.
And the latest data shows early-onset colorectal cancer diagnoses in the US are expected to rise 90 percent in people 20 to 34 years old between 2010 and 2030.
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EXCLUSIVE Patient, 56, dies from colon cancer after just ONE WEEK as doctors reveal key warning signs A man diagnosed with colon cancer after just a week of symptoms died in one of the world's most aggressive cases. The 56-year-old from Lebanon visited his local hospital after a week of constipation and bloating. A colonoscopy revealed a cancerous tumor in his sigmoid colon, the lowest part of the colon that meets the rectum. Doctors also found multiple lesions in the man's liver, suggesting the cancer was already 'at an advanced stage' despite symptoms starting so suddenly. The man was diagnosed with a colonic sarcomatoid carcinoma, an extremely rare and aggressive cancer that can take over the body in just weeks. No more than 50 cases like the man's have been reported in medical literature, and the disease is thought to kill most patients in less than six months. In similar cases, patients have died just 30 days after being diagnosed with no time to receive treatments. The unnamed man was unable to start chemotherapy before returning to the hospital days later with a fever. He died about a week later. A 56-year-old man from Lebanon died of colonic sarcomatoid carcinoma after suffering symptoms for just one week before his diagnosis (stock image) The above image shows cancerous lesions on the patient's liver from his cancer spreading Writing in a medical journal this week, doctors treating the man said there is a 'huge need for further research' on colonic sarcomatoid carcinomas to develop treatments and stop the disease from becoming a death sentence. Sarcomatoid carcinomas are made up of both carcinoma - cancer of the epithelial tissue, which lines organs - and sarcoma - cancer of connective tissues like bones. It most commonly forms in the lungs, though it only makes up 0.1 percent of all lung tumors. Doctors treating the man said sarcomatoid carcinomas are rare in the digestive tract. They're also the most aggressive with an average survival rate of five months. The medical team noted this could be because these tumors are more likely to spread and be resistant to chemotherapy, and most patients are already at an advanced stage by the time they receive a diagnosis. There are no specific treatment guidelines for sarcomatoid carcinomas. Like more common forms of colon cancer, diet, sedentary lifestyle and conditions like diabetes and obesity can raise the risk of the disease by creating inflammation in the digestive tract, which leads to cell DNA damage and dangerous mutations forming. The patient was a heavy smoker with high blood pressure, uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and an enlarged prostate. It's unclear if he had any genetic mutations linked to colon cancer. Smoking also introduces about 7,000 carcinogens into the body that attack DNA and lead to polyps forming in the colon, which can turn into cancerous lesions. The man's case comes as 154,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, including 20,000 under 50 years old. And the latest data shows early-onset colorectal cancer diagnoses in the US are expected to rise 90 percent in people 20 to 34 years old between 2010 and 2030.
