Rectal cancer is mostly 'dragged' out? Advice: There are 5 situations in the body, it is better to check early
Last year, the well-known Japanese musician, writer, and actor Ryuichi Sakamoto broke the news that he had cancer for the second time. He was diagnosed with throat cancer 8 years ago and has been receiving radiation therapy and drug treatment in recent years. Unexpectedly, he will suffer from cancer again in 2021, and it is rectal cancer.
In this year's latest issue of "Shincho ( July )" magazine, Ryuichi Sakamoto talked about his cancer experience.
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In June 2020, Ryuichi Sakamoto discovered rectal cancer during the examination, and the effect of treatment was not good after several months. At the end of the year, Ryuichi Sakamoto suddenly felt memory loss and went to the hospital for a brain examination. It was found that the rectal cancer had metastasized to the liver, lymph and lungs .
Doctors said his condition was serious, but his body could no longer receive radiation therapy, and even with powerful anticancer drugs, the five-year survival rate was only 50%. Without treatment, life expectancy may be as little as 6 months.
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Sakamoto Ryuichi was hit hard by the doctor's judgment, but he didn't want to give up.
At the beginning of 2021, Ryuichi Sakamoto underwent a 20-hour major operation to remove the primary rectal tumor (about 30cm in length), two liver metastases and metastatic lymph nodes.
Subsequently, he performed 6 operations, large and small, to remove all resectable tumors . When he thought everything was getting better, the doctor told him: " There are still lesions in the body proliferating, and no more operations can be performed ." In the end , Ryuichi Sakamoto chose to "live with cancer" and only use drugs for systemic treatment.
Looking back on his anti-cancer experience, Ryuichi Sakamoto couldn't help expressing emotion: "I have a new cancer and I am 70 years old. I don't know how many times I will see the full moon rise in my future life."
1. Rectal cancer, who do you like to find?
According to statistics, nearly 400,000 people in China are diagnosed with rectal cancer every year, and most of the patients have developed to the middle and late stages when they are diagnosed, and the number of patients who have their anus removed is as high as 40,000 each year. The cause of rectal cancer is not clear, but it is related to factors such as family inheritance, age, obesity, poor diet and smoking. Especially after the age of 40, the following high-risk groups need to pay attention:
People with a history of intestinal adenoma, intestinal tumor and ulcerative colitis ;
People who have colorectal cancer in their immediate family members;
People who have had their gallbladder removed;
· People who have received pelvic radiotherapy;
People with long-term high-fat diet;
2. There are 5 kinds of symptoms, don't procrastinate
In China, the early diagnosis rate of rectal cancer is low, and the middle and late stages account for about 60%. Rectal cancer is easily mistaken for diseases such as enteritis, internal hemorrhoids, anal fissure or bacillary dysentery , which affects diagnosis and treatment. Clinically, the 5-year survival rate of early rectal cancer can be as high as 90%, but only 14% in advanced stage.
Therefore, when high-risk groups find relevant symptoms, they should be vigilant and check as soon as possible.
1. Persistent abdominal pain and bloating
The continued growth of the tumor leads to intestinal obstruction, causing symptoms such as abdominal distension and abdominal pain. The incidence of abdominal pain is relatively high, mostly lower abdominal pain , the degree of pain varies, and it is often dull pain or distending pain.
2. Changes in bowel habits
Patients have changes in bowel habits such as thinner stools, sudden increase or decrease in frequency of defecation, constipation or alternating constipation and diarrhea, and difficulty in defecation, and the symptoms are difficult to relieve on their own.
3. Blood in stool
The feces rub against the surface of the tumor, causing mucosal rupture and bleeding. If the bleeding is not much, it cannot be detected by the naked eye, and a fecal occult blood test is required. When there is a lot of bleeding, blood can be seen on the surface of the stool, and it may also be accompanied by mucus or pus, which needs to be distinguished from hemorrhoids.
4. Abdominal mass
When rectal cancer develops to the middle and late stages, about 60%-70% of patients can feel a hard mass in the abdomen.
5. Chronic anemia
As the course of the disease progresses, patients will develop symptoms of anemia in varying degrees, which may be accompanied by chronic wasting symptoms such as weight loss, fever, and fatigue.
3. Stay away from bowel cancer, please correct 3 habits
A study published in "Gastroenterology" found that 56.5% of rectal cancer in China is related to unhealthy lifestyles. If you want to stay away from rectal cancer, you must get rid of these bad habits.
Habit 1: Smoking, drinking
Smoking increases the risk of rectal cancer by 1.27 times, and the more you smoke, the higher the risk. Tobacco burning will produce carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which will damage the DNA of colonic epithelial cells and cause gene mutations. Alcohol can directly damage the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, and its metabolite acetaldehyde can also directly damage cell DNA and induce gene mutations.
Habit 2: Excessive intake of red meat and processed meat
Many studies have found that long-term excessive intake of red meat and processed meat will increase the risk of colorectal cancer. In addition, people who love meat eat less fruits and vegetables, which leads to a lack of dietary fiber, which increases the risk of intestinal tumors.
According to the recommendations of the Chinese Nutrition Society, the daily meat intake of healthy adults should be controlled at 120-150 grams, including 40-75 grams of livestock and poultry meat, 40-75 grams of aquatic products, and lean red meat as much as possible.
Habit 3: Sedentary
According to WHO, sedentary behavior in adults can increase the risk of bowel cancer. Long-term sedentary exercise can weaken intestinal peristalsis, increase the residence time of metabolic waste and harmful components, and cause irritation to the intestinal mucosa.
It is recommended to reduce sitting for a long time and do simple physical activities every 1 hour. At the same time, keep exercising, at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, or 75 minutes of higher-intensity aerobic exercise.
Today, many cancers are not terminally ill, but we still need to do a good job of prevention and early detection in order to improve the survival rate. The easiest way to prevent rectal cancer is to develop healthy living habits. How much can you do?
References:
[1] Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment Group of Oncology Branch of Chinese Medical Association. Expert Consensus on Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment of Colorectal Cancer in China [J].
[2] Latest research! Research results of over 27,000 people in China: smoking, red meat intake, etc. "contribute" the most to digestive tract cancer, Yangcheng Evening News, 2021-08-29
[3] Can you get bowel cancer if you sit for a long time? WHO points out the latest content..., Medical Tumor Channel, 2022-04-20
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