Colorectal cancer likes this group of people, are you infected?

The colorectum includes the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon and rectum. The most common sites for cancer are the rectum, sigmoid colon, ascending colon, descending colon and transverse colon . Rectal and sigmoid colon cancers together still account for more than 60% of colorectal cancer. Most patients are already in the middle and late stages when they are discovered. Just like the causes of most tumors are still unclear, the causes of colorectal cancer have not been fully elucidated, but from a large amount of data analysis, its occurrence can be attributed to two types of causes: environmental factors and internal factors .

The risk of colorectal cancer in children of colorectal cancer patients is 2-4 times higher than that of the general population. In addition to the traditional family history of colorectal cancer, genetic factors also include hereditary colorectal cancer. The two most common forms of hereditary colorectal cancer are hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous polyposis coli (FAP).

The environmental factors of colorectal cancer are mainly dietary habits and stimulation of carcinogens.

We need to emphasize a balanced diet and a reasonable dietary structure for a healthy life. We should not reduce meat intake too much, or even become a vegetarian. We should not consume so-called "anti-cancer foods" excessively and for a long time. Such a lifestyle is often not healthy.

In addition to the bile acid and cholesterol metabolites we mentioned earlier, nitrosamines are the most potent carcinogens that cause colon cancer, one of the most important chemical carcinogens, and one of the four major food contaminants.

Nitrosamine compounds are important substances that induce gastrointestinal tumors. They are widely found in pickled, smoked and processed meat (mainly processed meat of four-legged animals). Proteins produced by high-temperature pyrolysis produce methyl aromatic amines, which are also carcinogenic substances. Therefore, fried and baked foods are carcinogenic.

In addition, drinking, diabetes, lack of exercise, metabolic syndrome, obesity or high BMI, and age (over 50 years old) are all risk factors for colorectal cancer.

Who is prone to colorectal cancer?

(1) Positive fecal occult blood test: In the early stage of gastrointestinal cancer, 20% of patients may have a positive occult blood test. The positive rate of occult blood in late stage patients can reach more than 90%, and it can be persistently positive. Therefore, fecal occult blood test can be used as the preferred indicator for gastrointestinal tumor screening.

(2) Patients with colorectal adenoma: Colorectal adenoma is the most common precancerous disease for colorectal cancer. Advanced adenoma or high-risk adenoma (polyp or lesion diameter ≥ 10 mm; villous tubuloadenoma, or villous structure in mixed adenoma > 25%; accompanied by high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia) has a higher risk.

(3) Patients with a history of colorectal cancer: Patients with no residual tumor after surgical treatment should undergo colonoscopy one year after surgery, and again in the third year, and every five years thereafter. If progressive adenoma is found, colonoscopy should be repeated annually.

(4) Familial high-risk groups: Patients with familial colorectal cancer and their family members should undergo genetic testing. Patients with familial colorectal cancer, gene mutation carriers, and family members who have not undergone genetic testing should undergo colonoscopy follow-up and extraintestinal tumor monitoring.

(5) Patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Inflammatory bowel disease mainly includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Ulcerative colitis is a precancerous disease of colorectal cancer. Regular endoscopic screening of patients with inflammatory bowel disease should be emphasized, especially patients with colorectal lesions with a disease course of more than 10 years.