Zhejiang Great Health
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Cases of rectal cancer diagnosis in young people seem to be increasing in recent years.
Recently, a 21-year-old female college student told about her experience of being diagnosed with advanced rectal cancer and fighting cancer through a video, "The body gives a lot of signals, but I think I am still young and ignore it."
In the video, she called on everyone to be vigilant: blood in the stool, increased frequency of bowel movements, loss of appetite, and frequent fatigue......
Screenshot of WeChat video account
Screenshot of micro netizen comments
Unexpectedly, many netizens broke their defenses in the comment area, saying that they also have such symptoms! Are these symptoms a sign of colorectal cancer?
Source: Visual China
Early symptoms are not obvious
See a doctor in a timely manner in these cases
In medicine, rectal cancer and colon cancer, collectively known as colorectal cancer, are one of the most common malignant tumors. How come it is that when you have symptoms, you reach an advanced stage? Were there no signs in the early days?
There is no strong discomfort in the early stage of colorectal cancer, such as indigestion, abdominal discomfort, positive fecal occult blood, etc., which is easy to be ignored; Another example is blood in the stool and abnormal bowel movements, which can be easily confused with other diseases, and eventually lead to missing the best treatment period.
If you encounter "two more, two pains and one body", please carefully identify and seek medical attention in time!
A sudden increase in the frequency of blood in the stool
Blood in the stool is indeed one of the most obvious symptoms in the early stages of bowel cancer. For blood in the stool, we can first make a simple identification:
Blood in the stool of colorectal cancer is mainly blood in the stool, which is dark red in color and is accompanied by mucus.
Hemorrhoids are mainly blood, spurted or dripping bright red blood after the stool.
At the same time, there are many diseases that can cause blood in the stool of different colors and natures, such as polyps, ulcerative colitis, intestinal vascular malformations, etc.
Therefore, if there is blood in the stool, it is not necessarily cancer, but it is a direct reminder that there is a problem in the intestines, and it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible to determine the cause.
An abnormal increase in the frequency of bowel movements, etc
If the bowel movement loses its original regularity, the frequency increases suddenly, or direct constipation, sometimes constipation and diarrhea may alternate, or after defecation, the stomach still feels uncomfortable, and I feel that it is not clean, but the discharge is mostly mucus, pus and blood, so special attention should be paid.
If the patient has pre-existing diarrhea, the diarrhea cannot be relieved after medication, and special attention should also be paid.
The usual poop is very thick, but in a short period of time it becomes as thin as a pencil or becomes a flat band, and it may be that the colorectal tumor has become larger and the squeezed poop has become deformed. In severe cases, it may also cause neoplastic intestinal obstruction.
Paroxysmal abdominal pain is present
The pain is subtle or dull in the early stages and worsens during defecation.
It gradually becomes persistent, and the location of the attack is mostly concentrated in the middle and lower abdomen, the degree is mild to severe, and can be accompanied by symptoms such as no gas, no bowel movement, nausea and vomiting.
Some colorectal cancer patients may have a hard and movable mass in the abdomen, and the mass tends to increase gradually, which may be caused by the combination of tumor and intestinal tissues.
There is significant pain in the anus
Most of the conditions are manifestations of anorectal diseases, such as hemorrhoids, anal fissures, perianal abscesses, etc
However, if the location of the tumor is close to the end of the intestine, it will cause the anus to feel swollen and painful, and at the same time, due to the stimulation of the tumor, the patient may have a feeling of incomplete bowel movement, and the feces are accompanied by obvious discharge, pus and bloody stool.
Systemic abnormalities
Unexplained emaciation, fatigue, anemia, loss of appetite, and patients with advanced colorectal cancer will have some systemic symptoms due to long-term chronic wasting of the disease.
How can colon cancer be prevented?
1. Pay attention to screening
Although colorectal cancer is hereditary, its occurrence and progression are relatively slow. Almost all colorectal cancers develop from colorectal adenomas. The process from normal intestinal epithelium to colorectal adenoma to colorectal cancer usually takes about 10 years.
In other words, colorectal cancer doesn't develop as quickly as other tumors, and the body actually gives you more than 10 years to detect it early. Therefore, it is preventable and controllable, and the earlier it is detected, the better the efficacy.
Colonoscopy and fecal occult blood testing are the first choices for colorectal cancer screening, followed by tumor markers and genetic testing. 1 high-quality colonoscopy every 5-10 years; FIT inspection is carried out once a year; It is best to do fecal occult blood test 1~2 times a year.
General population
Colorectal cancer risk assessment is recommended from age 40 onwards. For those who are assessed as high-risk, it is recommended to undergo colorectal cancer screening from the age of 40; Medium- and low-risk people can be screened at the age of 50.
People with a family history of tumors
If there is one or more first-degree relatives in the family with colorectal cancer, the recommended starting age for colorectal cancer screening is 40 years or 10 years earlier than the youngest patient in the first-degree family.
People with a family history of hereditary disorders
If the parents have colorectal cancer such as Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), genetic testing and colonoscopy are recommended from adolescence.
2. Improve living habits
Promote a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and low protein and fat; Eat less high-fat, high-protein, pickled, fried, and barbecued foods. In particular, people with a family history should pay more attention to eating a healthy diet and eat less high-salt and greasy foods than ordinary people.
Source: Visual China
Exercise more, exercise more; Prevent constipation and keep stools smooth; After a while, you can stand up and walk around for five minutes after reading this article.
Source: Zhejiang Provincial Cancer Hospital, Healthy Hangzhou, Hangzhou Third People's Hospital, Zhejiang Hospital General
Editor: Liu Qian