Colorectal cancer can be prevented, the development of colorectal cancer, from normal mucosa to hyperplastic polyps, to adenoma, to early stage cancer, to progressive cancer, such a whole process, primary prevention, secondary prevention, tertiary prevention involved in different stages, the ultimate goal of cancer tertiary prevention prevention, is to reduce the incidence of cancer and mortality. What is tertiary prevention of colorectal cancer?
Primary prevention of the cause of the disease
Scientific research shows that colorectal cancer is a malignant tumor related to lifestyle, mainly related to dietary structure, which can be said to be a disease of affluence. For example, when we were relatively poor in the past, we ate more vegetables and less protein and fish, the incidence of colorectal cancer was very low at that time, but over the years, our living standard has been better and we have eaten better, as a result, the number of eating problems has increased, and we eat less vegetables and more meat on a regular basis.
1, we eat too much high-protein, high-fat food, which can easily produce some so-called toxins in the intestinal tract through bacterial differentiation, which is a stimulating factor that can induce intestinal cancer, like we eat pickled and fried foods, which obviously increase the probability of developing colon cancer.
2, high protein and high fat food can easily increase the secretion of bile acids in the intestine, and the latter can cause irritation and damage to the intestinal mucosa.
3, plus we eat too fine, intestinal peristalsis is too slow, so that the stool in the intestine to stay too long, resulting in carcinogenic substances gathered, in the long run naturally easy to induce intestinal cell malignancy, in fact, we are not saying that high protein and high fat things can not be eaten, but we should limit its amount, because a certain amount of protein and fat or our body needs, so we should eat some of the fat and protein to eat, but We should add appropriate vegetables and fruits, because there are a lot of fiber and vitamins in vegetables and fruits. High-fiber vegetables, for example, including celery, leek and hollow vegetables, can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and assist in bowel movement, on the other hand, fiber in the intestine can also adsorb carcinogenic substances in food residues, dilute and reduce the concentration of carcinogens in the intestine, so to prevent intestinal cancer, we should eat more fruits and high-fiber vegetables.
Change of life habits
1.Low physical activity and obesity are risk factors of colorectal cancer. Physical activity can influence colon peristalsis and facilitate fecal discharge, which can prevent colorectal cancer. Adhere to appropriate exercise and maintain appropriate weight.
The relationship between smoking, alcohol and colorectal cancer is not certain, but smoking and alcohol are the risk factors of colorectal adenoma, so reducing alcohol intake is beneficial to the prevention of colorectal cancer.
3.Keeping a healthy and happy mental state also helps to prevent cancer.
We seriously improve our lifestyle, reduce the intake of high-protein and high-fat, fine, pickled and fried and smoked foods; increase the consumption of vegetables, fruits and coarse grains; reduce smoking and excessive alcohol consumption; strengthen exercise and reduce obesity to prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer from the etiology yet.
Secondary prevention
We all know that many colorectal cancers are the result of benign colorectal lesions that evolve gradually over a long period of time, such as colorectal adenomas, polyps, colitis, etc. We call them precancerous lesions and actively treat precancerous lesions, if we can treat and cure these precancerous lesions early, they will not develop into colorectal cancer and reduce the occurrence of colorectal cancer. In addition, for colorectal cancer that has already occurred, we should strive for early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment as much as possible, early malignant tumor treatment may be curable, while the treatment cost, treatment difficulty and treatment effect are very different compared to the middle and late stage colorectal cancer.
So what we call secondary prevention actually contains two aspects.
1. Active treatment of precancerous lesions
2, early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer, screening and census of healthy people is an important means of secondary prevention.
Anyone has the chance to suffer from tumor, popularize more health knowledge about tumor prevention and treatment, and let all people participate in secondary prevention of tumor
I. Treatment of precancerous lesions
In our population, there are many people suffering from adenomatous polyps and colitis, and 20% to 30% of people may suffer from benign adenoma, which needs to be taken seriously. 80% of colorectal cancers are transformed from adenoma of the colon. If we can find it at the stage of polyp, then of course it will be solved, and it will not become cancerous at all. Secondly, if you have cancer, it is still very early when I found it and solved it, then the effect is very good, such early cancer can easily reach the standard of cure, simple surgery is enough, no need for other radiotherapy and chemotherapy, so if we can deal with it early, it is really different, in terms of treatment effect as well.
Removing the precancerous stage gives us a five to ten year chance of reducing the chance of tumors. So we have to thank colonoscopy for both searching for tumors, characterizing them, and cutting out adenomas on the fly, and there was this study in the United States where they had regular colonoscopies for 100,000 people. The adenomas were found and removed in time, and after several years, the chance of colorectal cancer in this group was reduced by more than 80%.
Second, pay attention to colorectal cancer screening, screening
How can we detect precancerous lesions of the colon. How to detect early stage cancer? At present, with reference to some successful experience in Europe and the United States is to actively carry out screening and census of colorectal cancer in the healthy population in foreign countries, screening and census, since 75 years, developed countries in Europe and the United States gradually began. Their screening method is basically a combination of fecal occult blood and colonoscopy, and screening has a clear role in reducing the mortality rate of colorectal cancer. In our country, such as Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin, we are also formulating such screening standards, generally speaking, from the age of 60, then once every five years, if there are adenomas, that is, benign tumors, then it may take two to three years, if there is a family history, the first is not 50 years old, then it should be raised to 40 years old, the first examination, and at the same time, his frequency is not five years, that is, two to three years. Once. For example, if some people have a history of intestinal cancer, other siblings or children should go for relevant examinations, so that we can find out some potential patients who may have cancer or are in pre-cancerous stage, so that early diagnosis and early treatment can be made.
Pay attention to the danger signal of colorectal cancer
Early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment. I think early diagnosis of colorectal cancer is the most critical issue, because we know that in terms of treatment, surgery alone can cure it, but even with the rapid development of medicine and the combined use of various means, some patients are still not satisfied with the treatment effect, so early detection is very important. Early diagnosis depends on people’s knowledge about colorectal cancer and what are the symptoms of early stage colorectal cancer.
How to detect colorectal cancer early
1.First of all, check whether the stool has blood, the blood with pus is red or bright red, which is very similar to the symptoms of early internal hemorrhoids, and late blood in stool is mostly dark red, mixed with mucus and blood of stool or pus and blood.
The early symptoms of bowel cancer are very secretive and easy to be ignored, in fact, it usually takes 3 to 12 days from the appearance of discomfort to the diagnosis of colon cancer.
2. Then, it depends on whether the stool characteristics change, such as thinning or flattening of the stool.
3.Also, is there any change in your stool habit? For example, the number of bowel movements or the feeling of having more bowel movements and not being able to get rid of them. The secretions from rectal masses and their ulcers can produce intestinal irritation, resulting in frequent bowel movements, incomplete bowel movements, urgency and other symptoms, but the discharge is mostly mucus and pus-like material, and the shape of the stool has changed, with the stool becoming thinner and thinner.
4.Secondly, do you have vague pain in the abdomen or other uncomfortable sensations, and whether you are constipated or have alternating constipation and diarrhea, and feel a lump in the abdomen.
5.In addition, there is unexplained anemia. Unexplained wasting, weakness, loss of appetite, patients must pay attention to timely examination and treatment in a professional hospital.
If patients observe themselves more carefully, for example, if they have some blood in stool or change in stool habit, if you can catch these traces at an early stage and go for some related examinations and see some doctors, I think the probability of detecting early bowel cancer will be greatly increased.
Tertiary prevention
Tertiary prevention treats tumor patients actively to improve their quality of life and prolong their survival. At present, surgery is the main treatment for colorectal cancer patients, and standardized comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment. The complexity of colorectal cancer treatment and the effectiveness of multiple means require us to correctly choose the reasonable and most appropriate rehabilitation treatment plan to reduce tumor recurrence and/or metastasis and prolong survival time, which also puts forward higher requirements for doctors. In Europe and the United States, colorectal surgeons are qualified to treat colorectal cancer only after specialist training, and we are about to introduce an access system for colorectal cancer treatment. We suggest that the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal diseases should be carried out in regular specialist institutions to avoid irregular treatment, inadequate treatment and excessive treatment and to ensure the treatment effect.
Every doctor is not only a healer but also a preventor! Only by popularizing to the public the correct concepts of lifestyle change, timely consultation, active participation in screening and investigation, active treatment of precancerous lesions and standardized treatment of clinical tumors can we reduce the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer and improve the quality of survival of colorectal cancer patients.