Why is colon cancer getting younger and younger? How do the symptoms differ from those of the elderly? One article popular science

Colorectal cancer is the most common digestive tract malignancy in China, with more than 560,000 newly diagnosed patients with colorectal cancer each year.

　　The so-called colorectal cancer actually includes cancerous changes in two major parts of the rectum and colon. Among them, rectal cancer has the highest incidence rate, but the mortality rate of colon cancer is higher than that of the former.

　　Going back to 10 years ago, the age of onset of colorectal cancer in China tends to be aging. The more middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old, the more the incidence rate will increase with age.

　　However, in recent years, colon cancer has gradually shown a younger trend. According to relevant research surveys, the incidence of colon cancer among the population under the age of 50 is increasing year by year.

　　So the question is, why is colon cancer getting younger and younger, and what is the reason behind it?

1. Genetic aspect

　　Relevant research surveys have shown that colorectal cancer has a certain family aggregation and genetic predisposition. In addition to inheriting susceptibility genes , it is also directly related to familial adenomatous polyposis , an autosomal dominant genetic disorder.

　　The next generation may have multiple adenomas before the age of 20, and there may even be hundreds of adenomas in the intestine. If there is no timely examination, resection and treatment , the future cancer rate will be almost equal to 100%;

2. Diet

　　It has to be said that in recent years, China's living standards have made a qualitative leap and improvement, which is especially reflected in the diet. All kinds of delicacies that could only be eaten during the New Year and festivals have already become family meals.

　　But because of this, long-term caloric intake exceeds the standard, long-term consumption of a large amount of red meat, and long-term consumption of a large amount of processed meat products not only causes obesity, but also increases the risk of colorectal cancer . Related studies have pointed out that the more the BIM index exceeds the standard, the greater the chance of developing bowel cancer.

　　That being the case, what is the difference between young people suffering from bowel cancer and the elderly?

　　1. The degree of malignancy

　　Many people arbitrarily believe that young people have better physical fitness, far surpassing the elderly, so even if they suffer from cancer, they can easily overcome cancer.

　　As everyone knows, some young people are affected by poor diet and living habits, and their bodies have already shown a sub-healthy state. Relevant studies have pointed out that colon cancer in young people is mostly a poorly differentiated type with a relatively high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis;

2. Discovery is late

　　Many young people don't really care about their physical condition, and colon cancer is a disease that is very good at disguising. Its early symptoms are very similar to enteritis, hemorrhoids, constipation and other problems. Young people tend to arbitrarily think that they have these problems, so they don't take the symptoms seriously.

　　And the tolerance of young people is higher than that of old people. In this case, it may affect the early detection and diagnosis of colon cancer . In clinical practice in China, the vast majority of young bowel cancer patients are diagnosed after serious problems such as intestinal obstruction and perforation occur . At this time, patients have already missed the best time for diagnosis and treatment;

3. Transfer aspects

　　Related studies have shown that if young women suffer from colon cancer, the disease not only develops relatively quickly, but also is more prone to ovarian metastasis. The probability of cancer cells invading the ovary can even reach about 12%. On the contrary , elderly female patients with colon cancer do not have such a high metastasis rate, and the metastasis rate is relatively slow.

　　In a word, bowel cancer has no age limit, and any age group may suffer from the disease. Therefore, even young people should not relax their vigilance against it. If you have symptoms such as bloody stools, abdominal pain, and disordered bowel habits in the near future, you should seek medical screening in time.

　　In addition, it is also necessary for patients with a family history of bowel cancer or adenoma disease, obese people, and patients with chronic intestinal diseases to seek medical advice regularly for bowel cancer screening.