Colorectal cancer (including cancer of the colon and rectum) is the 2nd most common cancer in women, after breast cancer.
If its incidence decreases in men, colorectal cancer (colon and rectum) increases in women. It is now the second most common cancer among women, after breast cancer. Most often, this cancer comes from a benign tumor, called adenomatous polypwhich progresses slowly and eventually becomes cancerous.
What is the age at risk for colorectal cancer in women?
Colorectal cancer is rare before the age of 50. 90% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed after age 50, especially from the age of 70. In women as in men, three levels of risk are defined:
► People who have over 50 years old have an average risk.
► People suffering from an inflammatory disease of the digestive tract (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, etc.), those who have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer and smokers have a high risk.
► People suffering from a genetic disease (Lynch syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis) have a very high risk.
What is the life expectancy?
The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the better the prognosis for survival. If the disease is localized in the wall of the digestive tract (stages 0, 1, 2), 5-year survival is 90% whereas if the disease invades the lymph nodes (stages 3 and 4), the 5-year survival is 50%.
Symptoms are “not very specific”
“The symptoms are not very specific and only appear when the disease has taken hold“, specifies Dr Mathilde Soule, digestive surgeon at the Hôpital des Peupliers in Paris. They can be:
- Blood in the stool
- Abdominal pain
- A change in transit (episodes of constipation, followed by diarrhea, etc.)
- Sudden weight loss
- A permanent state of fatigue
Screening: from the age of 50, you are concerned
If you have any of these symptoms, consult your doctor promptly. This cancer can be cured if detected early. Furthermore, as colorectal cancer is minimally symptomatic, it is essential to do regular screening for colorectal cancer from the age of 50, even in the absence of risk factors or symptoms. From 50 to 74 years old, a letter is sent every two years as part of the national organized screening program. This letter invites people to consult their doctor so that he can give them a Free FIT test to do at home and explain the instructions to them. This is a very easy to use immunological test which allows you to look for the presence of blood in the stools. The attending physician may also prescribe this test in the event of suspicious symptoms. The results are sent around two weeks later to the patient and their attending physician. “Unfortunately, this test remains very little carried out: about a third of patients over 50 do so. Which is a real shame because it would make it possible to diagnose benign tumors very early before they develop into cancerous lesions.“, regrets the digestive surgeon.