Many people think that colorectal cancer is a disease of middle-aged and elderly people, and young people will not get it. Is this really true? In fact, young people also need to be alert to colorectal cancer, adjust their lifestyles, and do a good job in the prevention of colorectal cancer.
case story
28-year-old Xiao Li has been suffering from mild anemia in her physical examination in recent years. She has no obvious symptoms of discomfort. This year, Xiaoli felt dizzy from time to time and always felt tired at work, so she went to the hospital for treatment. The fecal occult blood test result was ++, the doctor further arranged a colonoscopy, and finally diagnosed with colon cancer. The doctor immediately arranged hospitalization and surgery for Xiaoli.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and its morbidity and mortality ranks second and third among all malignant tumors, respectively. The incidence of colorectal cancer in my country is increasing year by year, ranking third among all malignant tumors. In big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the incidence of colorectal cancer is even higher, ranking second among all malignant tumors.
Previous studies have shown that colorectal cancer is indeed a high incidence after the age of 50, but in recent years, colorectal cancer has a clear trend of younger. Moreover, young people are not as alert to cancer as middle-aged and elderly people, and they don’t care about symptoms, and they are diagnosed late. Compared with middle-aged and elderly people, colorectal cancer in young people tends to have a high degree of malignancy, rapid progression, easy recurrence and metastasis after surgery, and poor prognosis.
Although the early warning of colorectal cancer is hidden, there are still clues to follow. Don’t ignore it. Bowel cancer often causes changes in bowel habits, such as changes in the timing of bowel movements, more or less volume, changes in stool thickness, diarrhea or constipation. Due to the contact and friction between the mass and the feces, the surface of the tumor ruptures and causes bleeding. If the mass is closer to the anus, the blood will be bright red, and if it is farther away, the blood will be dark red, which is often mistaken for hemorrhoids and delays treatment. Bloating and abdominal pain can be caused by poor passage of stool due to the growth of the lump. In addition, bowel cancer can lead to long-term chronic blood loss, and patients will show symptoms related to anemia, such as dizziness, palpitation, and fatigue.
Don’t be afraid even if you have colorectal cancer. The treatment methods for colorectal cancer have developed rapidly and have not been what they used to be, including surgical treatment and drug treatment. With the popularization of minimally invasive technology, the proportion of minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer is also increasing, and the problem can be solved by simply punching a few small holes in the stomach. In recent years, there are also robotic surgery systems, and the emergence of specimen collection through natural orifices has further reduced the trauma of surgery and accelerated the recovery of patients. Immunotherapy research is also advancing by leaps and bounds. For colorectal cancer with microsatellite instability or mismatch repair gene deletion, immunotherapy significantly improves the survival chance of patients compared with traditional chemotherapy.
The prevention of colorectal cancer should start from the daily life, especially young people should not be regarded as the capital of health. It starts with developing a healthy lifestyle. Reduce the intake of red meat and processed meat, increase the intake of fruits and vegetables, moderate intake of nuts and dairy products, and control the intake of sodium; secondly, quit smoking and stay away from second-hand smoke; thirdly, avoid heavy drinking and high frequency Drink alcohol; control weight, avoid obesity and diabetes, those who have obesity or diabetes should lose weight or control diabetes in time; in addition, moderate physical exercise is also required.
If you have early warning symptoms of colorectal cancer, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Young people with a family history of colorectal cancer should carry out colorectal cancer screening earlier, and you can consult your doctor for specific screening programs and time.
Xu Yuqiu (physician) Tang Wentao (attending physician) Xu Jianmin (chief physician) (Colorectal Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University)