32-Year-Old Woman Told She Was ‘Too Young’ for Colon Cancer

When Azucena “Suzy” Reyes sought emergency care for severe abdominal pain and bloating in late 2015, medical staff dismissed her symptoms because she was a 32-year-old Hispanic woman. Business Insider reported that Reyes visited emergency rooms four times over a two-month period, receiving repeated diagnoses of intestinal inflammation before a fifth visit ultimately revealed a fully obstructing stage 3B colon tumor.

In Plain English: The Clinical Takeaway

• Colorectal Obstruction: A physical blockage in the large intestine that prevents normal digestion, often caused by a growing tumor mass.
• Stage 3B Colorectal Cancer: A classification indicating that the cancer had grown through her muscular wall and into her lymph nodes, requiring 12 rounds of chemotherapy.

Diagnostic Delays and the Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Crisis

Reyes, based in Alvin, Texas, maintained an active lifestyle running four miles regularly and managing a construction company alongside her nursing studies. Despite her physical fitness, persistent exhaustion, fevers, and acute abdominal distress brought her to emergency departments repeatedly between August and October 2015. Initial clinical assessments attributed her distress to colitis, enteritis, and a microperforation, leading to antibiotic regimens and a three-week hospitalization utilizing a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC line) for medication delivery.

When a gastroenterology appointment finally materialized in October, escalating vomiting forced an immediate return to the emergency room. An ultrasound subsequently identified a mass obstructing her transverse colon, necessitating emergency surgical resection. Following the operation, the treating surgeon informed Reyes that her youth and Hispanic heritage made colon cancer an unlikely diagnosis. Histological analysis a week later confirmed stage 3B adenocarcinoma.

Clinical Metric	Initial Assessment (Aug–Oct 2015)	Confirmed Diagnosis (Late Oct 2015)
Primary Diagnosis	Colitis, Enteritis, Intestinal Inflammation	Stage 3B Transverse Colon Cancer
Diagnostic Modality	Clinical Vitals, Empiric Antibiotic Therapy	Ultrasound Imaging, Emergency Surgical Resection
Patient Demographic Factors	32-Year-Old Female, Hispanic Ethnicity	Obstructing Transverse Colon Tumor

Managing Treatment and Long-Term Survivorship

Initial medical estimates suggested a brief course of two or three chemotherapy cycles. However, pathological staging revealing invasion through the muscular wall into local lymph nodes necessitated 12 rigorous chemotherapy cycles spanning six months. Treatment toxicities included peripheral neuropathy—manifesting as persistent needle-like sensations in her hands and feet—alongside systemic fatigue and fluid retention.

Now more than a decade cancer-free as of October 2026, Reyes undergoes annual clinical surveillance including colonoscopies, comprehensive blood panels, and computed tomography scans. Following her own recovery, she urged her 42-year-old brother—then below the standard screening threshold of 45—to undergo a screening colonoscopy. That procedure detected an early-stage malignancy, resulting in successful surgical intervention and four years of subsequent remission. Reyes currently collaborates with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s Never Too Young Taskforce to promote awareness within Spanish-speaking communities.

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