Remind again: When the 3 symptoms appear continuously, it may be rectal cancer, so be vigilant

jMs. Liu and Mr. Wang are a couple. Their usual meals are of heavy taste. All kinds of cured meat, salted fish and other preserved foods are commonplace, and they are reluctant to throw away leftovers—the leftovers from the day before yesterday , Heat it up and eat it the next day.

A year ago, Ms. Liu began to experience symptoms such as constipation and thinner stools, and then abdominal pain and bloating. She was so unbearable that she rushed to the hospital for an examination, which turned out to be bowel cancer. Fortunately, it was discovered early and could be resected endoscopically.

After the doctor's consultation, he suggested that Mr. Wang also undergo a colonoscopy examination. Unexpectedly, he was also found to have bowel cancer. Although his condition was more serious than his wife's, the operation went well.

1. Intestinal cancer: the "disease of wealth" caused by eating

According to data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, more than 1.93 million people worldwide will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2020, and China will account for one-third, and the number of confirmed cases is still on the rise.

But in fact, as early as a few decades ago, the incidence of bowel cancer was not so exaggerated.

According to Wang Bangmao, director of the Digestion Center of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, the per capita incidence of bowel cancer was only a dozen or so per 100,000 people 20 or 30 years ago, but by 2019, the data showed that the incidence of bowel cancer had reached 38/100,000. second only to lung cancer .

The "culprit" of all this is inseparable from changes in eating habits, especially high-protein, high-fat diets, and bowel cancer is also known as "a rich man's disease caused by eating".

A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States found that a high-fat diet stimulated the production of many intestinal stem cells, which differentiated into nonfunctional cells and formed tumors in the intestinal wall.

In addition, a German study found that a high-fat and high-protein diet can lead to changes in intestinal flora and increase the risk of colorectal cancer. On the one hand, stem cells proliferate in large numbers, and on the other hand, the intestinal flora is disordered. It is the combination of the two that leads to the occurrence of intestinal cancer.

Nowadays, some people's bad eating habits are constantly "promoting" bowel cancer, such as eating too fine a diet, too much fat, high-protein eating habits, and excessive intake of pickled food, etc., all of which increase the incidence of bowel cancer risks of.

And some people's habit of drinking too much will also promote the denaturation of proteins on the surface of the digestive tract mucosa, increasing the risk of colon cancer.

2. Can rectal cancer and hemorrhoids be confused?

Professor Wang Xishan, Director of Colorectal Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said that clinically, 70%-80% of bowel cancer patients are misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids . Why is bowel cancer misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids? How to distinguish between these two different diseases?

Colon cancer is easily misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids, mainly because the two diseases are very common, and the location of the disease is also close, and the early symptoms are similar, so it is easy to be confused. In addition, many patients think that they have hemorrhoids. When they go to the hospital to see a doctor, they directly say that they have hemorrhoids. The doctor does not carefully identify them and treats them as hemorrhoids.

What is the difference between hemorrhoids and bowel cancer? There are three main differences between hemorrhoids and bowel cancer:

First, the bowel habits are different

Patients with bowel cancer will have symptoms such as difficulty in defecation, thin stools, abdominal distension, and abdominal pain, which generally do not relieve themselves; while hemorrhoids generally do not cause difficulty in defecation, thin stools, and the symptoms of painful defecation will return to normal as the inflammation subsides ;

Second, the symptoms of blood in the stool are different

The blood in the stool manifested by bowel cancer is usually blood on the surface of the stool, while hemorrhoids are blood dripping after defecation; hemorrhoids generally have blood stains when defecation is difficult, but bowel cancer may not always have blood stains ;

Third, the feeling of defecation is different

Hemorrhoids will cause symptoms such as anal pain, anal itching, and perianal bleeding; while intestinal cancer will cause abdominal distension and abdominal pain due to intestinal obstruction, and may also appear alternating symptoms of diarrhea and constipation .

When the real bowel cancer comes, the following symptoms may appear repeatedly, everyone must be vigilant!

1. Deformation of poop

When there is a tumor in the intestine, it will squeeze the stool and cause the stool to become thinner and flatter. If the stool suddenly becomes deformed, you should be alert to the appearance of intestinal cancer.

2. Bloody stool

Most of the blood in the stool caused by bowel cancer is dark red, accompanied by mucus, and the amount of blood in the stool is not much, so it should be distinguished from hemorrhoids.

3. Changes in bowel habits

Sudden changes in bowel habits, alternating diarrhea and constipation, or a sudden increase in the frequency of bowel movements, frequent constipation, etc., may be caused by intestinal tumors blocking the intestinal tract.

If it is unclear whether it is bowel cancer or hemorrhoids, it is best to perform digital anal examination and colonoscopy as soon as possible. Anal digital examination can find nearly half of rectal cancer patients, and colonoscopy can more accurately diagnose various abnormalities in the intestinal tract, which is also the gold standard for colon cancer examination.

Three or five types of people are high-risk groups for bowel cancer, so be aware

In fact, when the body has obvious symptoms, it is often advanced bowel cancer. Therefore, for high-risk groups, regular screening should be performed even if the body does not have relevant symptoms.

Immediate relatives with a family history of bowel cancer, familial polyposis, people with colorectal adenoma and other precancerous diseases of the bowel, people with unhealthy living habits for a long time, or people with symptoms related to bowel cancer are all eligible High-risk groups of colon cancer must be screened as soon as possible and have regular physical examinations.

At the same time, develop the following X kinds of living habits every day, which can effectively prevent the occurrence of bowel cancer!

1. Reduce sedentary

Sitting for a long time will increase the risk of diseases such as obesity and deep vein thrombosis, and it is also related to various cancers such as bowel cancer. Avoid sitting for a long time.

2. Quit smoking and limit alcohol

Smoking and drinking are related to bowel cancer and other cancers. It is recommended to quit smoking and limit alcohol as soon as possible.

3. Weight control

Researchers from Chung-Ang University in South Korea conducted a survey of 3,000 people over the age of 40 and found that people with a body mass index over 25 had a higher chance of suffering from intestinal polyps, which is a major cause of bowel cancer.

4. Eat a healthy diet

In terms of diet, we must pay attention to balanced and comprehensive nutrition, eat more whole grains, fish, and cruciferous vegetables as much as possible, and eat less red meat, processed meat, and preserved foods.

Some symptoms of bowel cancer are similar to hemorrhoids, and are often misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids, but there are still many differences between the two.

If you want to prevent bowel cancer, you must develop good living and eating habits, avoid sedentary, and conduct regular cancer screenings.

References:

[1] "Is blood in the stool hemorrhoids or bowel cancer?" ". Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. 2020-06-11

[2] "Whether you have symptoms or not, you must have a colonoscopy, especially for these 5 high-risk groups! ". Health Times. 2020-09-03

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