Cancer in all its forms is increasing worl dw ide. Colorectal (Bowel) cancer .
Cancer is cancer arising from large intestin e. Depending upon the location in the large bowel it can be either colon cancer or rectal cancer – latter arising from the last end of t he colon.
Though India has lower incidence of this ca ncer compared to the Western and develop ed Asian countries, it is worrying t hat the cancer occurrence is definitely increasing i
n recent times.
Usually it affects people aged 50 yrs or mo re. But our concern is that In India around one third of these cancers affect earlier at the age of 40-50 yrs. Men are af affected more than women. In India 1 in 10000 peop
le develop this cancer. Sadl y 2 out of 3 per sons diagnosed with this cancer die in the same year. This is beca use the cancer gets diagnosed late. Colo n cancer develops in majority as small cl umps of excess growin g cells in the linin g (mucosa) of the large bowel. For a long time this may not cause any symptom at all. By the time it causes a ny symptoms (see table) its likely that bow el cancer is already in advan advanced stag e,
Table1: What are the symptoms of Bowel Cancer -:
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Change in caliber/shape of stools
Urgency to pass stools
Blood in stools
Tummy pain and bloating
Weight loss
Anemia and weakness
When caught early however colon canc er is curable by surgery and supportive treatmen
t Prevention is better than cure.
Table 2: How to prevent colon cancer aff ea ting us?
1) Reduce risk factors:
• Maintain ideal body weight
• Regular physical vi exercise
• Stop smoking
• Avoid excess alcohol
• Reduce red meat consumption
• Avoid processed foodTable
• Eat more vegetables and fruits
Cancer in all its forms is increasing worldw ide. Colorectal (Bowel) cancer is cancer ari sing from large intestine. Depending upon t the location in the large bowel it can be eith er colony Cancer or practical cancer latter a rising from the last end of the colon. Thoug gh india has lower inci dence of this cancer compared to the we stern and developed As ian countries, it is worrying that the cancer occurrence i s definitely increasing in recen t times. Usually it affects people aged 50 yr s or more. But our concern is that In India a rou und one third of these cancers affect e arlier at the age of 40-50 yrs.
Men are affected more than women. In ind
ia, 1 in 10000 people develop this cancer. Sadly 2 out of 3 persons diagnosed with th is cancer die in the same year. Thi s is beca use the cancer gets diagnosed late. Colon cancer develops in majority as small clump s of excess growing cells in t he lining (muc osa) of the large bowel. For a long time this may not cause any symptom at all.
2) Get ‘’ screened’’ for bowel cancer whe
n you have no symptom at all: If
• You have family member(s) with bowe lca cancer especially before ageof 50.
• You have family members with breast, ut erus, ovary cancer etc .
• You have longstanding inflammatory bowe
l disease like ulcerativecolitis
• You are on medications for some years aft er organ transplantation.
Bowel Cancer Screening :
Screening can be done by stool tests for hi
dden blood present, special CT scans and
more effectively by direct internal examinat on of large bowel. Inside of colon can beexa mined by sigmoidoscopy which looks at left side of colon where most cancers occur or colonoscopy which can look at whole of co lon .At colonoscopy doctors can localise t he cell clumps ( pol yps) in bowel lining, re move them and th us stop them from devel oping into biwel bowel cancer.
How to catch colon cancer early?
By increasing awareness of both public an
d health professionals we can diagnose biw el cancer early, cure them and make them live a long healthy life.
• Don’t’ be shy to discuss/ Don’t ignore bow
el symptoms mentioned earlier!
• See your doctor especially if these bowel
changes persist beyond 6weeks
• If routine blood checks show anemia get medical opinion as to the cause of anemia
Healthcare Professionals should co nsider referring to specialist if
• Patients aged 50 or more have blood mixe
d in stools for 6 weeks or longer
• Patients aged 50 or more have loose,frequ
entstools for 6 weeks or longer
• Patients aged 40 or more have both loose
tools and blood in stools for 6 weeks or lon
ger
• Anemia in any manor any non menstreatin
g woman
• Lump in abdomen or rectum on physical e
xamination
• Abnormal bowel imaging on Xrays or scan
s
OUR MISSION: We pledge to conduct progra
ms and produce material by print and visoci al media to educate the public on the increa sing incidence of this condition and to enco urage screening as an effort to identify and treat this condition at the earliest.