Seyizadele Mayor in Turkey Passes Away
Continued Her Duties Wearing a Scarf Over Her Shaved Head
In Turkey, a 37-year-old female mayor has passed away just one year and three months after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
According to local media such as Turkish Minute, Gulsah Durbay, the 37-year-old mayor of the Seyizadele district in Manisa Province, western Turkey, died on the 14th (local time) while receiving treatment at Manisa City Hospital.
The mayor of Gulsah Durbay in the Seyizadele district of Manisa Province, western Turkey, recently passed away from colorectal cancer. Mayor Durbay's Instagram
Born in 1988, Mayor Durbay was a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition party. She was elected in the Seyizadele district election in March last year, becoming the first female local government head in Manisa Province. In September of the same year, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Despite her illness, she continued to fulfill her mayoral duties, covering her shaved head with a scarf while undergoing chemotherapy. However, her condition worsened in early December, requiring surgery, and even after the operation, her health did not improve, leading to the use of a ventilator. Ultimately, after battling the disease for about a year, Mayor Durbay passed away. Upon news of her death, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences.
Colon cancer has traditionally been considered a disease affecting people over the age of 50. However, cases like Mayor Durbay’s show that colon cancer is not uncommon among younger individuals in their 20s and 30s. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of domestic patients in their 20s and 30s who visited hospitals for colon cancer nearly doubled between 2020 and 2024. A study conducted last year by the University of Colorado Medical Center found that the incidence rate of colon cancer among Koreans aged 20 to 49 was the highest among 42 countries surveyed, at 12.9 cases per 100,000 people.
The causes of ‘young-onset colon cancer’ are mainly related to diet and lifestyle habits. In particular, foods high in animal fat, processed meats such as ham and sausages, and red meat, as well as frequent alcohol consumption and smoking, all contribute to the risk of colon cancer. Other factors include lack of sleep, obesity, and stress. Most people do not experience symptoms in the early stages of colon cancer. By the time symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloody stools, diarrhea, fatigue, loss of appetite, or weight loss appear, the disease has often already progressed significantly.
Early detection of colon cancer dramatically increases the cure rate. If discovered and treated at stage 1, the cure rate is 90%, and at stage 2, it reaches 80%. Removing adenomatous polyps through endoscopic examination can prevent most cases of colon cancer. However, if the disease progresses to stage 3, the cure rate drops to 70%, and at stage 4, it falls to just 10%.
Because early detection is difficult, regular screening is crucial. The National Cancer Screening Program recommends that individuals aged 50 and older undergo an annual fecal occult blood test, and if abnormalities are found, a colonoscopy or double-contrast barium enema. However, experts emphasize that it is advisable to begin regular screening before age 50, even in the absence of symptoms. For asymptomatic adults, the national program recommends a fecal occult blood test every 1 to 2 years or a colonoscopy every 5 to 10 years starting at age 45. In particular, those with risk factors such as a family history of colon cancer, or who experience symptoms like bloody stools, diarrhea, or abdominal pain, should consider colon cancer screening even in their 30s.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
