March 27, 2025
Living proof: Colon cancer highly treatable if caught early
There is an alarming rise in colon cancer rates among younger adults. Cynthia Hernandez knows firsthand how crucial early detection can be.
Cynthia Hernandez (left) with her 2 daughters
For more than 25 years, Cynthia Hernandez has dedicated her life to providing health care and support to others. Hernandez is currently the department administrator for Allergy and Dermatology at Kaiser Permanente in San Bernardino County, California. But it wasn’t until a close friend's sister — who was only 30 years old — passed away from colon cancer that Hernandez decided to take her own health seriously and schedule a colonoscopy, which ultimately saved her life.
“I thought it would just be a ‘check the box’ thing to do,” she recalled. “My daughter encouraged me to get it done, and I didn’t think much of it at the time. But when I got the results, I was shocked.”
Time was on her side thanks to early diagnosis
On July 24, 2024, Hernandez’s colonoscopy revealed a mass in her ascending colon.
The mass was small but still concerning enough to warrant a follow-up CT scan. Pathology results confirmed the presence of cancer.
Her doctors wasted no time in taking action. Surgery was scheduled in August, and Hernandez was met with an outpouring of support from her team at Kaiser Permanente. Joseph Ruan, MD, a specialist in colon and rectal surgery, performed the operation, which lasted approximately 3 hours.
“I was scared, of course, but I knew I was in good hands,” said Hernandez. The surgery was a success. Dr. Ruan removed half of her colon, her appendix, and 22 lymph nodes. All of the lymph nodes came back negative, meaning the cancer fortunately had not spread.
“Cynthia’s cancer was caught early, and she was able to have curative surgery without the need for chemotherapy,” Dr. Ruan said. “If she didn’t have that screening, the cancer could have continued to grow, making treatment more complex and reducing her chance of a cure.”
Hernandez recovered quickly and was back at work after just 4 weeks. “I am so grateful for how smoothly everything went,” she said. “I was lucky in that I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation because the cancer was caught early.”
Younger adults benefit from updated screening guidelines
This sense of gratitude motivated Hernandez to educate others about the importance of colorectal cancer screening, especially for people in her age group. At age 47, she was aware that the recommended screening age had been lowered in 2021 from 50 to 45.
“If I had waited until I was 50 to get a colonoscopy, I don’t know what my outcome would have been,” she said. “As soon as I went back to work, I started encouraging my co-workers, physicians, and everyone I could to get screened. I urge everyone to take this seriously.”
Dr. Ruan highlights the changes in current screening guidelines. “The recommendation is now to start screening for colorectal cancer at age 45 for average-risk individuals,” he said. “There has been a serious increase in people under 50 developing colon and rectal cancers. This is part of the reason why the screening age was lowered from 50 to 45.”
For people unsure about their options, Dr. Ruan emphasizes the variety of screening tests available, from the traditional colonoscopy to a fecal immunochemical test, or FIT. “It’s important for patients to discuss options with their health care provider to determine the right screening method for them,” he said. He also notes that patients with a family history of colorectal cancer or other gastrointestinal issues may need to begin screening even earlier.
Hernandez is grateful to be a survivor and wants others to know that early detection saves lives.
“I was so lucky that my cancer was caught early. But I know not everyone is as fortunate,” she said. “Please, get screened. It could make all the difference in your life.”
