This is the best summary I could come up with:

When Ms. Peters finally visited a gastroenterologist in 2021, after having her third child and experiencing worsening bleeding from her rectum along with changes in her stool consistency, an urgent colonoscopy confirmed that she had colorectal cancer.

For instance, some small studies have hinted at the idea that people who develop colorectal cancer at an early age have an imbalance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in their gut.

Researchers are not only looking at antibiotic use, which can alter the gut microbiome, but also nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are used as painkillers, proton pump inhibitors that are used to counter stomach acid issues and several psychiatric medications that may be absorbed through the intestinal lining and have increased in use in recent decades, Dr. Cercek said.

There are also geographic disparities in the increase in cancer, with experts seeing more cases emerge in cities and towns along the Mississippi River, in Southeastern states and in Appalachia, which may be explained by occupational exposures to trace elements like arsenic, chromium, and nickel, which are often used in coal production, chemical plants and other industries in those regions.

If you are not in contact with your immediate family or are unaware of their medical history, it is important to know the symptoms of colorectal cancer, such as unexplained abdominal pain, changes in your stool and rectal bleeding.

There is also a home test that can detect 92 percent of colorectal cancers through DNA in your stool, though it is less sensitive at picking up precancerous polyps and cannot be used to remove any tissue, Dr. Cercek said.

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