Five years after being diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer at the age of 28, Joe Faratzis is reflecting on the six red flags that signaled he was struggling with a serious disease.
“I put these symptoms off for months before finally going to get a colonoscopy,” Faratzis recently admitted on TikTok. “Don’t risk your life by waiting to see a doc. Early screening could save you and your family.”
The US Preventive Services Task Force updated its colorectal cancer screening guidelines in 2021 to lower the recommended age to start screening from 50 to 45 for adults at average risk.
A steady rise in rates of colorectal cancer among adults under 50 prompted the change. Experts urge seeing a healthcare provider right away, no matter your age, if you have any symptoms of colon cancer.
Faratzis told Self magazine that he began experiencing signs in 2019. The longtime TMZ producer shared his concerns with his primary care doctor, who ordered a CT scan. Faratzis confessed that he blew off the test.
“The big catalyst that motivated me to take my symptoms seriously occurred a few months later. I was sitting on the couch and I passed gas, looked down, and saw blood,” explained Faratzis, now in his mid-30s. “I went to the bathroom and there was about a half a cup of blood in the toilet. It wasn’t painful, but I was like, ‘Holy f— — obviously there’s some issue here.’”
Colorectal cancer develops in the tissues of the colon or rectum — both are part of the large intestine in the digestive system.
The disease is caused by changes in DNA, which can be inherited from parents or acquired later in life by consuming a low-fiber and high-fat Western diet, adopting a sedentary lifestyle, drinking a lot of alcohol and/or smoking.
It’s the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, with the American Cancer Society estimating that about 53,000 Americans will die of colorectal cancer this year.
Early detection can improve survival chances. Treatment often involves surgery to remove the tumor, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Faratzis said he underwent oral and intravenous chemotherapy and procedures to remove the section of his colon containing cancer and burn and freeze lesions that developed on his lungs and liver.
“If I got the CT scan back in 2019 when I had my earliest colorectal cancer symptoms — I might not have wound up in the position I’m in now,” Faratzis lamented to Self in March.
These are the six symptoms he wish he hadn’t ignored:
- Constant sweating and night sweats
- Lower right abdominal pain
- More frequent trips to the bathroom
- Slight abdominal cramps when bending over
- Constipation and cramps
- Blood in stool
There is some good news to share. Last week, Faratzis celebrated having a clear CT scan.
He noted: “I get to, I guess, kind of forget about this for another three months” — until his next scan.
