People under 50 seeing rise in colon cancer cases, study says [Video]

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Colorectal cancer is now the No. 1 cause of cancer death in men and the No. 2 cause in women among adults under 50 years old.

March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month and doctors continue to try and better understand why cases in young people are on the rise.

“I was terrified and at the same time, it’s like you feel numb,” said Lorena Guillen.

She was just 34 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. At the time, she was also 24 weeks pregnant with her second child.

“Is she feeling what I’m feeling? What’s going to happen? Is this going to affect her?” she wondered.

To give herself and her baby a fighting chance, her medical team induced labor when she was 30 weeks along. Her daughter, Mayleen, spent some time in the NICU, but she was born healthy.

Less than a month later, …