A 50-year-old Ma has been suffering from constipation for more than 20 years and needs to take laxative drugs for a long time to ensure normal bowel movement; in the last 3 months, she has been experiencing alternating constipation and diarrhea, intermittently accompanied by vague pain and discomfort in the left lower abdomen; Ma thought that it was caused by improper laxative drugs and did not go to the hospital for examination. The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to its customers. After understanding her condition, the doctor gave Ma a colonoscopy, which suggested adenocarcinoma of the colon, and she was promptly hospitalized for radical colon cancer surgery, from which she recovered well. According to the world epidemiological survey of tumors, colorectal cancer has the highest incidence rate in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and generally speaking, the incidence rate is higher in economically developed countries. With the development of China’s economy, changes in dietary structure and lifestyle of residents (including unreasonable diet with high protein, high fat, less grains, less fruits and vegetables, reduced physical activity and increased overweight and obesity), the incidence rate of colorectal cancer in China has been on the rise in recent years, from 12/100,000 in the early 1970s to 56/100,000 at present, with a rate of increase of about 4.2% per year, far exceeding the international level of 2%. The rate of increase is about 4.2% per year, far exceeding the international level of 2%. It is worth noting that colorectal cancer is often easy to be ignored because the early symptoms are not obvious, and when patients show obvious clinical symptoms, they may already belong to the middle and late stage. Therefore, we should have a comprehensive and full understanding of the clinical symptoms of colorectal cancer, and try to achieve early detection and early treatment. Who are the people with high incidence of colorectal cancer? Statistics show that the incidence of colorectal cancer is the highest among people aged 41-65 in China, especially those with familial colorectal adenomatosis, colorectal adenoma patients, ulcerative colitis patients, Crohn’s disease patients, HNPCC family history, and family members of colorectal cancer are the high-risk groups. What should be done for such high-risk groups? There is only one answer, regular screening. The main test is fecal occult blood test, and if it is positive, colonoscopy will be performed to detect the tumor early. What should be done for non-high risk group? Pay attention to early detection of early symptoms of tumor. What are the symptoms of colorectal cancer? First of all, there are changes in stool, including changes in stool characteristics and shape, such as increased frequency of bowel movement, diarrhea, constipation, alternating diarrhea and constipation, mucus stool, bloody stool or pus-blood stool, thin stool, etc. The second is abdominal pain, mostly persistent vague pain with inaccurate localization, abdominal discomfort or bloating sensation. Thirdly, abdominal masses, mostly in the right side of the abdomen, are hard and striated or nodular in shape. In addition, systemic symptoms such as anemia, emaciation, fatigue, low-grade fever, jaundice, swelling, cachexia, etc. may also be present in the late stage. For patients who are not sure about the symptoms, it is recommended to seek medical consultation in regular hospitals as soon as possible. What tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis of colorectal cancer? Various relevant examinations are the key to early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of colorectal cancer. Relevant examinations include rectal examination, endoscopy (such as proctoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy), barium enema X-ray examination, intracavitary ultrasound examination, CT examination, MRI examination, fecal occult blood examination, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) determination, etc. Some of these examinations are also indispensable for colorectal cancer, which provide a reliable basis for preoperative diagnosis, localization, evaluation and postoperative follow-up of colorectal cancer. It provides a reliable basis for preoperative diagnosis, localization, evaluation and postoperative follow-up. What should I do if I have colorectal cancer? Don’t be afraid, seek medical treatment in time. With the progress of diagnosis and treatment technology and the standardization of treatment, the postoperative survival rate of colorectal cancer has been improving, with the 5-year survival rate of early-stage colorectal cancer reaching over 90% and the 5-year survival rate of mid- to late-stage colorectal cancer reaching 50%. First of all, you should go to a regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment, especially a regular colon and rectal specialist, to determine the early and late stage of colorectal cancer and whether there is metastasis after a comprehensive assessment by clinicians. If the tumor is confined to the colorectal area and you are physically able to tolerate the surgery, surgery is preferred; clinicians will choose different surgical methods according to the location of the lesion. If you have metastases to the liver or lung, the clinician will decide whether to perform simultaneous or staged surgery according to the location, amount, size and physical condition of the metastases. In addition, if the tumor has caused intestinal stenosis and intestinal obstruction, the clinician may need to remove the obstruction by colostomy first according to the specific situation. After surgery, the doctor will evaluate the patient’s pathological stage and physical condition, and decide the chemotherapy plan and follow-up plan. Are there any other treatments for colorectal cancer? Surgery is the first but not the only choice for colorectal cancer. In general, colorectal cancer is a comprehensive treatment with surgery as the primary treatment. Other treatment modalities include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and biologic therapy. Radiotherapy is mainly applied to rectal cancer, chemotherapy is mainly for adjuvant treatment before and after surgery and for advanced stage of colorectal cancer, targeted therapy is also for advanced stage patients, which is clinically proven to improve survival rate, and biological therapy is also for adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer, but the clinical effect is not exact yet, in addition, both of them are more costly. Although the prognosis of colorectal cancer is better than other tumors, “treatment is better than prevention”. To prevent colorectal cancer, it is crucial to improve the diet structure and regular life, eat more fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins and crude fiber, eat less smoked food (containing nitrite), and develop a healthy lifestyle in general. Experts also recommend that people with family history at the age of 40 should enter the screening sequence, and patients who have already suffered from ulcerative colitis, intestinal adenoma and other colorectal diseases should be actively treated.