Vol 2. No. 5 Let’s talk about mental health
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Dear Thriver,
What are the signs and symptoms of CRC? This is a question I’m often asked—and one I care deeply about. That is why, in this issue of the CRC Research Digest, I wanted to focus on the signs and symptoms of CRC. I wanted to bring together different ways of understanding these—from personal experience to research to practical tools.
Understanding the signs and symptoms of CRC matters—not just for ourselves, but for the people around us. Family history is a known risk factor, but awareness of symptoms can also play an important role. Having this information may help someone you care about recognize changes earlier and feel more confident seeking care.
If you think this Digest issue could help someone you love, I hope you’ll consider sharing it. Sometimes, passing along information is one small step that can make a meaningful difference.
With gratitude,
Mental health in CRC: A video on lived experience and putting words to what we feel
Mental health in colorectal cancer is something many people experience—but often don’t have the words for. In this video, I share my own experiences alongside research that explores how mental health shows up across the cancer journey—helping put language to what we feel so it becomes easier to talk about.
The Digest: How mental health shows up across the colorectal cancer journey
Year published: August 2022
How we did this research:
We analyzed doctor visits, emergency room visits, and hospital stays using health records in British Columbia for people diagnosed with CRC and looked at what was happening in the 5 years before their diagnosis.
We grouped visits as:
Visits for potentially CRC-related symptoms: common, often vague symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting
Visits for red‑flag symptoms: more concerning, such as rectal bleeding, low iron (anemia)
What we found:
Visits for CRC symptoms appeared primarily in the final year before diagnosis, peaking in the last two months.
29.5% of visits were for potentially CRC‑related symptoms and 9.8% were for red‑flag symptoms.
One symptom differed by age at diagnosis—rectal bleeding:1.8% of visits among early‑onset CRC patients (diagnosed under age 50) included rectal bleeding, while no such visits were observed among average‑onset CRC patients (diagnosed at age 50 or older).
Want to see the most common symptoms before diagnosis and how they differed by age? Explore the study infographic here.
CCOR Guide to Anxiety and Depression
Mental health in CRC is important—and that’s why we created this guide: to help make it easier to recognize and respond to mental health changes.
It focuses on anxiety and depression, two common, treatable mental illnesses that can affect wellbeing and recovery.
It also provides practical ways to take action—from building support to seeking care—that can support mental health more broadly, even without a formal diagnosis.
At its core, the message is simple:
you’re not alone, and help is available.
If you think this guide could support someone you care about, please consider sharing it.
What thrivers ❤️ about the Digest
"THANK YOU so much for this letter! It came to me at the perfect moment and I read every word and followed every link. But I also really appreciated the summaries both in words and pictures..."
"...Thanks for this information as I have followed you for the past six years and still hope to."
Missed a past issue? No stress.
Every Digest we’ve published lives in one place, so you can catch up anytime — whether you joined yesterday or have been with us from day one.
That's it for today!
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Hit reply to let us know. Was it too hard to follow? Too long, didn't read it all? Leave you with more questions? Let us know! We read every response.
Talk soon,
Mary, Alexander, and Joy — The Colorectal Cancer Research Digest editorial team
