Colorectal cancer, the disease that claimed the life of "Black Panther" actor Chadwick Boseman at age 43, was once considered an “old person’s” illness. It no longer is.

The National Cancer Institute says early-onset colorectal cancer is now the No. 1 cause of cancer death in people 20 to 49 years old.

It gets worse. Studies show that cancer that develops in younger people tends to be more aggressive.

So, why are Gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Zers developing a disease they never would have dreamed of getting not that long ago?

To help answer this question, I am so honored to be joined by Dr. Andrea Cercek, a board-certified medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Cercek is also the founder and co-director of the Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer – this clinic – dedicated to serving the specific needs of people under 50 who have these cancers, is the first of its kind in the world.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Cercek about the possible causes for this rise in colorectal cancers, what we can do to reduce our risk of developing colorectal cancer, and about the exciting treatment options that are being developed at MSK to cure colorectal cancer without the often-crippling side effects of radiation, chemo, and surgery. 

One of the beneficiaries of Dr. Cercek’s research and treatment is her former patient, Kelly, who also join us in this conversation. Kelly was just 29 with an 8-month-old baby when she was-diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Thanks to the immunotherapy treatment that Dr. Cercek’s team discovered, Kelly is now cancer-free, did not have to have chemo, radiation, or surgery, and has gone on to live a full and healthy life.

To learn everything you need to know about colorectal cancer, and to hear one woman’s inspiring story, this episode is for you!

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