Colorectal cancer is on the rise, who is at high risk?

Who is at high risk?

Dr. Ung Van Viet, Deputy Head of the Department of Digestive Surgery, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that colorectal cancer is a common type of cancer of the digestive tract. Detection and treatment of the disease at an early stage will give good results in the long term.

Colorectal cancer is becoming a global health burden, ranking third in incidence and second in mortality according to GLOBOCAN 2022 statistics. In Vietnam, this disease is getting younger and younger. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2025 alone, there will be 154,000 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in this country.

"People at high risk of this cancer are those with a history of adenomatous polyps, sessile serrated polyps, enteritis...", said Dr. Viet.

In addition, people with diabetes or breast cancer are also considered more susceptible to colorectal cancer than normal people.

Pay attention when there are suspicious warning signs such as changes in bowel habits, abdominal cramps...

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Methods to help screen for colorectal cancer early include stool tests, occult blood tests, stool DNA tests, and imaging tests (X-rays and colonoscopy).

However, even after radical treatment, the patient still has a much higher risk of developing new colorectal cancer cells than normal people. Therefore, the patient needs to be re-examined regularly on schedule to have blood tests, abdominal ultrasound, colonoscopy, and CT scans to detect cancer recurrence.

Early signs of colorectal cancer

Master - Specialist Doctor 1 Mai Van Dung, Nam Sai Gon International General Hospital said, colorectal cancer is a type of cancer originating from the colon (the main part of the large intestine) or rectum (the part connecting the colon and the anus). This is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women. Colorectal cancer may not cause immediate symptoms, but if it does, it will be one of the symptoms such as changes in bowel habits (bowel movements) such as diarrhea, constipation, flat stools lasting for many days; feeling of not having all the stool after each bowel movement; bloody stools; bloody or dark stools; abdominal cramps; unintentional weight loss.

Colorectal cancer can be completely cured if detected early. Therefore, screening for early detection of colorectal cancer is extremely important. When there are risk factors or suspicious symptoms, patients should go to reputable hospitals and medical facilities for screening to help detect the disease early.

"To reduce the risk of disease, in daily life, patients should eat lots of vegetables and fruits, drink lots of water, dairy products, whole grains, limit tobacco and alcohol. As soon as they experience unusual symptoms... patients need to go immediately to the medical facility where they were treated for timely examination and treatment," Dr. Viet recommends.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ung-thu-dai-truc-trang-gia-tang-ai-co-nguy-co-cao-185250410203350012.htm