cancer when she felt “a nagging, constant pain” in her lower back and stomach.
“Is it my diet? Should I lose weight? “Do I need to change my lifestyle?” the 46-year-old Danbury resident said. I never considered colon cancer.”
Costa began experiencing bloating and stomach pain at 44, which her gynecologist and primary care physician couldn't pinpoint
A gastroenterologist recommended a colonoscopy to diagnose her problems.
After the colonoscopy found a tumor in Costa's left colon, she had surgery to remove a 10-inch segment within weeks.
Costa, who has been cancer-free since April 2022, is among the rising number of under-50 colon cancer cases. On the American Cancer Society website
the organization predicts 106,590 new cases of colorectal cancer and 46,220 new cases of rectal cancer in 2024, with 53,010 deaths.
According to the website of the American Cancer Society, the organization forecasts that there will be approximately