Watch out! When the defecation habit changes abnormally, it may be this kind of cancer.
According to the 2018 China Malignant Tumor Report released by the National Cancer Center, the incidence of colorectal cancer in China is on the rise, with the incidence and mortality ranking third and fifth respectively. Diet is one of the most important aspects in analyzing the pathogenic factors of colorectal cancer. It can be said that many colorectal cancers are "eaten by patients".
Qilu Evening News Qilu Yidian
Reporter Qin Congcong
A "disease of wealth"
The average age of onset was 48.3 years.
"Colorectal cancer is a rich disease." Liu Bo, director of the Digestive Ward of Shandong Cancer Hospital, told Qilu Evening News that colorectal cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, can be divided into colon cancer and rectal cancer according to the location of the tumor, which is a common malignant tumor in the gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, its incidence rate has been rising and it is showing a trend of youthfulness.
Statistics show that the average onset age of colorectal cancer in Chinese is 48.3 years, which is 20 years younger than the average onset age of colorectal cancer in the United States, which is 69.8 years.
Liu Bo introduced that at present, it is believed that the occurrence of colorectal cancer is the result of a combination of environmental factors and genetic factors. Among them, diet is a very important reason.
"In the past, people lived in poverty, and colorectal cancer was not common in China. In recent years, with the substantial improvement of people’s living standards, the intake of high-fat and high-calorie foods has increased, making the incidence of colorectal cancer rising. " Liu Bo said that eating more red meat, eating processed meat products, drinking and smoking are all behavioral factors of colorectal cancer, and some people with high fat diet and high animal protein diet often have the characteristics of obesity.
Liu Bo pointed out that great changes have taken place in people’s lifestyles, behaviors and modes of travel at present, and the decrease in exercise is also related to colorectal cancer. Some benign colorectal diseases can be high risk factors for colorectal cancer, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, adenoma and polyp. In addition, 15% of colorectal cancer patients have genetic background.
Liu Bo admitted that at present, about 20% of colorectal cancer was stage IV at the initial diagnosis, and 80% of them showed unresectable metastatic lesions. In fact, colorectal cancer grows slowly and has a long incubation period. It takes 5-10 years to develop from precancerous lesions to cancer.
"If we can detect and cut it in time, we can prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer." Liu Bo said that the rising incidence of colorectal cancer is closely related to people’s lack of awareness of prevention, and colorectal cancer should be one of the cancer species with better prevention effect.
Paying attention to defecation is conducive to early detection
More than 80% of patients have symptoms of bloody stool.
The key to tumor treatment is early. If it can be found, diagnosed and treated early, colorectal cancer can also achieve good therapeutic effect. Capturing the early warning signal from colorectal cancer in time is conducive to early detection of colorectal cancer.
"Many people regard hematochezia as the main signal of colorectal cancer, but in fact, if hematochezia occurs, most patients are already in the middle and late stages of cancer." Liu Bo emphasized that the change of defecation habit is the main and common symptom in the early stage of colorectal cancer, which mainly refers to the change of defecation frequency (increasing or decreasing), the change of defecation characteristics (drying or thinning), and whether defecation is laborious or always feels inexhaustible. If the change lasts for more than 2-3 months, it needs to be taken seriously.
Of course, bloody stool is also a signal of colorectal cancer. Research shows that 80%— 90% of colorectal cancer has symptoms of bloody stool, and the blood is bright red or dark red, often mixed with mucus or pus. Sometimes you can see the tumor tissue falling off in the feces, but it is often not early. Chronic hematochezia may also bring anemia, and the elderly should pay special attention to it.
The occurrence of colorectal cancer often leads to intestinal function problems. Therefore, some patients will have abdominal pain and bloating. This kind of pain is manifested as paroxysmal colic, which lasts for several minutes, and there is gas escaping through the pain, abdominal distension, followed by exhaust, and then the pain suddenly disappears. It can also be manifested as discomfort or dull pain in the right lower abdomen, accompanied by abdominal distension, intestinal peristalsis, constipation and obstruction of exhaust. If left untreated, vomiting may occur later.
"When these symptoms appear, we should be vigilant enough and seek medical examination as soon as possible." Liu Bo said that fecal occult blood test is the most important means of non-invasive screening for colorectal cancer. This method is non-invasive and more suitable for crowd screening, and it is recommended to be conducted once a year.
Many authoritative organizations in the United States recommend that fecal DNA detection be applied to early screening of colorectal tumors in asymptomatic people, and the recommendation period is once every 1-3 years.
Colonoscopy occupies a unique and irreplaceable position in colorectal cancer screening, which is the core of colorectal cancer screening process. Colonoscopy biopsy or pathological examination of resected specimens is the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Endoscopic resection of precancerous lesions can reduce the morbidity and mortality of colorectal cancer. High quality colonoscopy is recommended every 3-5 years. In addition, there are screening methods such as sigmoidoscopy screening, colon CT imaging technology and colon capsule screening.
Drink yogurt often.
Can reduce the risk of illness
Liu Bo introduced that with the progress of medicine, the treatment of colorectal cancer is constantly improving and improving. At present, the main treatment methods are surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endoscopic treatment, as well as gene therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
"The key to the long-term survival of patients lies in the combination of intense and effective systemic treatment and active and appropriate local treatment." Liu Bo pointed out that there is no single treatment method for any tumor. Doctors will choose the best individualized treatment method according to the patient’s condition, create a cure opportunity through surgery, continue the treatment in different lines of treatment, prolong the patient’s life and improve their quality of life.
Of course, no matter how the treatment is, what people want most is to stay away from cancer. For colorectal cancer, Liu Bo said, research shows that physical activity, intake of dairy products, intake of fruits, intake of vegetables and adequate dietary fiber, and conscious choice of a healthy lifestyle are the factors that reduce its risk.
Recently, a study published in Gut, the official journal of the British Gastroenterology Association, said that eating two or more servings of yogurt a week can help prevent colorectal cancer, but it is only effective for men. This study followed up about 90,000 people (including 32,606 men and 55,743 women) for 26 years.
"Yogurt can change the microbial flora in the intestine, especially lactobacillus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which are common in yogurt, and can eliminate some carcinogenic chemicals in the intestine. In addition, the pH value in the colon is low, and yogurt can improve the intestinal barrier dysfunction by exerting anti-inflammatory effect on the colon mucosa. " Liu Bo suggested that the Nutrition Society recommend that adults drink no more than 400g of yogurt every day. Generally speaking, a cup of yogurt in the morning and evening or a cup of milk in the morning and a cup of yogurt in the evening is the most ideal.