How fast does cancer develop?

So, I've been having bright red bleeding off and on for the last two months. The blood is in the water and on the tp.... Seems to be getting worse. It's there whether I'm having a BM or not.

I didn't think I was in a flare, but I'm starting to wonder. I haven't had any D like I usually do in a flare, but instead, I'm almost constipated... Just going once a day, but it's very formed and I'm having to strain.

I went to the dr yesterday and saw the NP who gave me a cream for the irritation she saw on my rectum thinking that might be causing the bleeding. If that doesn't do the trick, I'm going to have to have a colonoscopy.

I just talked to a friend about this who decided it was a good idea to share with me about someone she knows who is 20-something, who had bleeding and just found out he has stage iv colon cancer! So, of course, now I'm an anxious mess!! My last colonoscopy was in May of 2014. What's the chances C would develop that quickly?!

Thank you for any input... I'm a worry wart anyway... I didn't need the help of my well meaning friend.

CRC is usually slow growing. Because you have ibd it can be more common but we also have more scoping and testing.
Speak to your doctor. But I would not panic. It's not the most likely option.

Sorry that you are feeling stressed about this

No two flares are the same, so seeing blood now but not before isn't unusual. Hemorrhoids or uc inflammation are the most likely cause of bright red blood.

Only about 5 percent of uc patients get colorectal cancer. I'm willing to bet they would've seen seen early signs in your colonoscopy a year ago, if something abnormal had started. CRC is very slow developing and progressing. It starts as slightly abnormal cells, becomes dysplasia (precancerous cells), continues to progress to cancerous cells that reproduce/spread slowly. Biopsies and/or visual inspection would've caught it early.

You've had uc since 2001 with pancolitis, so you should be receiving more regular colonoscopy screenings now (after 8-10 years with disease). Likely, annually or biannual colonoscopy is the recommendation. It's precautionary, even though 95 percent of us don't get it.