Latest news with #HeatherCandrilli
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Colon Cancer Rates Rise In Young Adults; New Research Brings Hope
Heather Candrilli, 36, a mother of two, is battling metastatic colon cancer—underscoring the urgent need for education, research, and advocacy for young adults facing rising rates of the disease. Her journey began two years ago with persistent abdominal bloating and rectal bleeding. 'I had just delivered my son and assumed the symptoms were postpartum related,' she recalls. Even during a visit to urgent care, she mentioned the bleeding and was told by a clinician, 'It's probably just from internal hemorrhoids.' Over the following year, her symptoms worsened. After speaking with her physician, an ultrasound and colonoscopy confirmed that Candrilli had colon cancer that had already spread to her liver. Heather has completed 21 rounds of chemotherapy and had the tumor surgically removed from her colon. However, her liver tumors remain. She's now on the liver transplant list—awaiting a donor match and funds to cover her medical costs—the next hopeful step toward becoming cancer-free. Photo of Heather Candrilli Cory Candrili 'Scientists are especially motivated to find the cause of colon cancer because its incidence is rising—particularly among younger adults who traditionally haven't been considered high-risk,' said Dr. Austin Chiang, gastroenterologist and author of Gut: An Owner's Guide. While some cases may be linked to genetic mutations, many, like Candrilli's, are not. She has no family history of colon cancer and tested negative for genetic mutations. Scientists are now exploring how the gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in our digestive system—may influence cancer risk. These microbes help digest food, regulate the immune system, and in some cases, produce toxins that interact with our bodies in unexpected ways. 'Interactions with gut bacteria might be playing a bigger role than previously thought,' adds Dr. Chiang. Emerging research supports this hypothesis. A recent Nature study highlights colibactin, a toxin produced by certain gut bacteria, like E. coli, which may damage DNA in colon cells and contribute to cancer development. 'Screening and modifiable lifestyle factors remain essential methods of colorectal cancer prevention,' said Dr. Angella Charnot-Katsikas, Clinical Pathologist and expert in molecular genetics at Loyola University Medicine. 'But the Nature article shows that microbiome-derived 'genotoxins' may initiate cancer, even without traditional risk factors,' Dr. Charnot-Katsikas adds. She explains that researchers used whole-genome sequencing on 981 colorectal cancer genomes and linked specific DNA 'signatures' to colibactin-producing bacteria. She says, 'colibactin can leave a permanent 'fingerprint' in the colon that may induce cancer.' While these findings are compelling, she adds, 'we still don't know the cause of most early-onset colorectal cancers not tied to inherited genes.' And while the Nature paper made a major contribution, she awaits more research before these findings alter clinical strategies. Until then, early detection remains vital. Dr. Chiang shares, 'the best place to start is with a gastroenterologist, especially if there's a family history. Screening is crucial, and guidelines now recommend beginning regular colon cancer screening at age 45.' He also recommends resources like the American Cancer Society or the National Cancer Institute. Screening at age 45 is an improvement from the previous recommendation of 50. Yet the lowered age still overlooks people like Candrilli—and thousands of others—diagnosed with advanced colon cancer before age 45. New York State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton has introduced a bill that would lower the colorectal cancer screening age to 35. While the change would apply only to New York residents, Scarcella-Spanton says legislation passed in her state 'could put pressure on other states' to follow suit. If passed, her bill would require insurance companies to cover costs of colorectal cancer screening starting at 35. Insurance coverage is critical; under current policies, Candrilli had to pay $500 out of pocket for her colonoscopy—an amount that could deter some patients from seeking care. Lowering the screening age could also help shift public perception: colon cancer is no longer just a disease of the elderly. Heather and Cory Candrilli with their children Family Photo For Candrilli, her hope is not only to heal—but to help young adults recognize symptoms of colon cancer early. 'If you don't know what cancer symptoms are, unfortunately you may be incorrectly deterred,' she adds. She urges patients to advocate for themselves. 'Don't brush off small symptoms. If you have rectal bleeding or bloating after eating small meals, this isn't normal. You aren't supposed to feel mediocre. You are supposed to feel good.'
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer after brushing off symptom that strikes millions after they eat
Heather Candrilli had been suffering from bloating and stomach pain for years but blamed it on her diet and giving birth to two children. So, when she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, her world was turned upside down. But the 36-year-old mother of two was determined to beat her diagnosis - which has a survival rate of 13 percent - and she 'hit the ground running' and started an aggressive chemotherapy regimen in May 2024. But she's been been hit with painful side effects and medical bills that could exceed half a million dollars. Her husband, Corey Candrilli, a disabled US Army combat veteran said: 'I don't understand exactly what she's going through, but I understand pain. I understand the highs and lows. 'She's amazing.' Since her diagnosis, Mrs Candrilli has undergone 20 rounds of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries to try and remove tumors, but her fight isn't over. Mr Candrilli said his wife's delayed diagnosis - she visited multiple doctors and had her symptoms dismissed - puts a spotlight on the need for a law that would require insurance companies to cover colonoscopies for younger patients with certain symptoms. Colonscopies are the gold standard for screening for the disease, which is on the rise in young people across the US. They are typically recommended to begin at 45 and occur every 10 years so long as results are normal. However, lack of - and confusion over - insurance coverage has led people to delay screening or has burdened them with bills for thousands of dollars. On most insurance plans, the procedure should cost on average $79 out-of-pocket, with health insurers footing the rest of the about $2,125 bill. But recently, patients have come forward to say they've been charged upward of $5,000, $7,000 and even $20,000 for the procedure, despite having health insurance. The couple live in New York, where the law requires insurance coverage for colonoscopies only for people 45 and older. 'You can't get it. It's unbelievable,'' Mr Candrilli told SI Live of colonoscopies before 45. 'It's truly unbelievable. These are your teachers, your parents, people raising your children. These are our future.' The army veteran said his wife had been experiencing bloating and abdominal pain but, 'when you're about that age, you're busy rising a family, and the last thing you're going to be thinking about is yourself.' Mrs Candrilli was tested for the chronic autoimmune diseases crohn's and celiac, but the couple said a colonoscopy was never suggested. However, an ultrasound of Mrs Candrilli's stomach detected something on her liver, then a colonoscopy was performed, which revealed an aggressively growing tumor that had spread to other parts of her body. Mr Candrilli said: 'As soon as they ordered the colonoscopy, they saw the tumor right there on her colon.' Mrs Candrilli underwent surgery to remove a portion of her colon and is now awaiting a liver transplant. Since her initial surgery, she has undergone 20 rounds of chemotherapy, which her husband said are shrinking the tumors. These sessions required her to spend four hours in the hospital every two weeks to receive the medication and then wear an external device that continued delivering chemotherapy to her for 48 hours after. And while the treatments are working, Mr Candrilli said the family cannot keep up with medical bills. He said: 'It's ridiculously expensive. Insurance is helpful, but we've been told that, even with insurance, this can go up to at least $500,000.' A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with medical bills as Mrs Candrilli stopped working as a nanny before becoming a mother and supporting her husband after he suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq. He told SI Live: 'She's the greatest medicine I've ever had my whole life.' About 67 percent of adults adhere to current screening requirements, below the US government target of at least 70 percent. Colon cancer often causes no symptoms until it has spread to other areas of the body, where it becomes harder to treat. But warning signs can include trouble using the bathroom, blood in feces and persistent diarrhea or constipation. Doctors fear that, faced with the risk of high prices, patients may put off any screenings — which can find pre-cancerous growths and eliminate them, slashing the risk of developing the cancer. They may also put off screenings even when they have symptoms, risking the cancer reaching an advanced stage — making it harder to treat and deadlier. Dr Glenn Littenberg, a physician who recently chaired the reimbursement committee of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, told 'The majority of people who do preventative screening should have very little out-of-pocket cost, regardless of where they go. 'But there are horror stories, with the exception being when someone goes out of network for their physical or hospital.' 'If patients are putting off colonoscopies worrying about costs, then this means these aren't removed.' He added: 'Screening reveals benign polyps that aren't cancer, but by removing them we are reducing the risk of cancer developing. 'If you put off screening and don't do anything, there's certainly a much higher probability that when you go in, you have symptoms,' which may raise the risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
