>Go through all the screening you can, cancer (of any form) is easer treated when caught early. Or even prevented.

There's reasons why we don't screen for all cancers all the time - one being that when you are young and healthy the false negative rate and risk of complications of the test are often higher than the chance the test catches something.

Full-fledged biopsies, without any other indication, are exaggerated. A simple colonoscopy isn't. Nor are the other, standard, screening tests. And still most people just don't even use the standard screening options. My personal guess, because people are afraid the screening is finding something. Without the screening, you can happily continue your life in ignorance. Usually, this is regretted if they actually have cancer later, once the cancer is so advanced that actual symptoms manifest.

If you got it at 26, I'd recommend a gene test to see if there is a hereditary factor, and for your kids too.

That is what I have. "Luckily", out of four siblings, I'm the only one that tested positive and therefore the only one in my family that gets checked every year.

That was the first they did, now that's almost 14 years ago. Luckily it's not hereditary, would have sucked with a 3 year old back the day.

Nope. That's how medical costs get out of control. Routine colonoscopies for 20-somethings is just a waste of money.

High risk? Sure. But the general population, no.

I did mention the available screening, didn't I? High risk is much earlier, for sure, and much more frequent. I'm down to one every 5 years now, plus some routine checks every two.

Sorry to hear that. What were your symptoms if you don't mind sharing.

Hemorrhoids, initially. Being rather, young with damn office job, that's the initial diagnosis. Lucky for me, I had a good doctor that started to feel uneasy and insisted on a colonoscopy. All things considered, I think I was lucky!

So were no serious symptoms so, cancer is a sneaky bastard.