Michael Kecht: ESMO GI 2025 – Patient Advocacy Highlights
Michael Kecht, Scientific Relations Manager Alpine (Austria and Switzerland) at Kyowa Kirin International, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“ESMO GI 2025 – Patient Advocacy Highlights
Last week, after attending WECAN Academy, I delivered my first talk on an international stage as a patient advocate at ESMO GI 2025 in Barcelona, sharing the real-world perspective on early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC).
Here are my key highlights:
Early-Onset CRC Is Rising Fast
– EOCRC rates in young adults have been climbing by 2% per year since the early 1990s.
– By 2030, colon cancer diagnoses in 20–34-year-olds are projected to rise by 90%, and rectal cancer by 124%.
– Young patients often face diagnostic delays and must advocate for themselves to be taken seriously.
Patient Voices Matter
– I shared powerful stories from survivors diagnosed as young as age 26.
– survey results 75% of EOCRC patients saw at least two doctors before diagnosis; 20% saw four or more.
– Delays and medical bias often lead to late-stage diagnoses, which could be avoided with a more awareness among GPs and young adults and risk-based prevention
What Patients Need
– Empathy and age-appropriate communication from healthcare professionals.
– Multidisciplinary, tailored care that addresses unique challenges—fatigue, pain, emotional distress, and sexual dysfunction are more disruptive for younger patients. Glad I could share the recent Poster from NCT Heidelberg – National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg and Bruno Christian Köhler on their tailored care programme for which was co-created with EOCRC patient interviews!
– Shared decision-making: Patients want to be partners in their treatment and research. Thanks to Trishna Bharadia, BA(hons), MFPM(Hon), Jan Geissler and all other authors for the recently published paper I could share proudly!
Call to Action
– We need more equity, empowerment, and empathy in CRC care.
– The next 12 months must bring more personalised treatment and real patient partnership in outcome research.
– Let’s break the myth: “You’re never too young to have CRC.”
Thank you to the ESMO – European Society for Medical Oncology and European School of Oncology faculty for the opportunity and to all the patients whose stories inspire change every day. Together, we can make a difference!
Thank you all for inspiring me!”
Read “25 Posts Not To Miss From ESMO GI 2025” on OncoDaily.
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