Colon cancer like many diseases is a silent killer. It begins with the appearance of polyps (similar to warts) within our intestines that little by little create malignant tumors, which can cause this type of condition; however, this polyps can develop in months and have no symptoms.
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Colon cancer is one of the quietest cancers | Shutterstock
According to Dr. Angélica Hernández, head of the Endoscopy Service at the National Cancer Institute of the Ministry of Health, commented that in Mexico about 14,500 cases are reported per year colon cancer, in addition to this, the Mexican Institute of Social Security reported that it is estimated that 6 thousand 500 people die annually for this reason, that is about 45 percent from the patients.
“In Mexico, in 2020 about 14,500 cases are reported, we are between the third and fourth cause, the third if we see it in men because colorectal cancer comes after prostate and lung and in women it goes down a bit because there is breast cancer, cervix as incidence, but if we put it together we are around between the third and fourth place “, he indicated the specialist.
Although Mexico is not the only country that has a high incidence rate, since in the world, according to data from the National Institute of Public Health and the Institute of Cancerology, around 700 thousand patients die a year due to this disease and about one million 400 thousand cases are registered.
Why is the incidence high?
Angélica Hernández comments that the incidence is high because the diagnosis of colorectal cancer and many other tumors is made late, “about 80 percent are in an advanced stage”; This is due to the evolution of the disease, since in the early stages of cancer there are no symptoms.
“Unfortunately when the tumor shows symptoms it is because it has a much larger growth and generally already spread out of the gutWhen we have a small tumor, it will not give any symptoms and the time may go by several months or up to a year that gives symptoms because it has a more extensive tumor near the intestine, “he commented.
A diagnosis in time
One of the keys to not developing colon cancer is the early detection of polyps, those abnormal tissue growths or also having a test called detection of occult blood in feces, in which an immunological test is used to detect globin, that is, human blood and there is no other type of food debris that can give a positive study.
The National Cancer Institute has a program to apply this test to the population between 50 and 64 years of age who do not have a family history of cancer or polyps.
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“The fecal occult blood test is immunological, the proposal is to perform it on the open population, between 50 and 64 years old who do not have a family history of cancer or polyps that is performed in this test, if this test is positive because we quantifies and the quantification is 20 milligrams per deciliters per gram of stool, the person has to go to a colonoscopy, “said Dr. Angélica Hernández.
Colon what? Quiet! Colonoscopies are not complicated
Maybe when we talk about a colonoscopy we can think the worst, does it hurt? it is risky? None of that, this technique that helps diagnose colon cancer is not a complicated method and is becoming more and more accessible to most public and private institutions.
“The preparation requires a cleaning prior to the procedure a day before, you have to make a diet and then take a special preparation to clean the intestine to be able to make the observation. The colonoscopy is done with superficial sedation, it is not an anesthesia It is done in a room with oxygen supplements and in a special room and by an endoscopist who has the indicated training. This procedure takes an average of 30 minutes, “explained the specialist from the National Cancer Institute.
The advantage of a colonoscopy is that if there are findings of polyps, in the procedure that polyp can be removed, although sometimes there are contraindications to remove polyps when they are very large or when the necessary accessories are not available or even the doctor does not have the experience.
“It is not a complicated procedure, the risks of a colonoscopy are very low, they increase a little when we do something therapeutic and it will also depend on the polyp, if it is a small polyp the probability of a complication is minimal, but if it is a larger polyp we require experience of the endoscopist and also of the necessary accessories to remove a polyp “, informed the doctor.
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