Colorectal cancers are among the deadliest types of cancer. It is vital to intervene in this type of cancer early and apply the right treatment. Ignoring the symptoms of colon cancer causes this disease to progress very quickly. Turkish Colon and Rectal Diseases Surgery Association (TKRCD) President Prof. Dr. Ayhan Kuzu, regarding colon cancer, said, “There has been a 30 percent increase in the last 20 years in colon cancer seen at young ages.”
INCREASED 30 PERCENT IN THE LAST 20 YEARS
Experts state that colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer among men and women. In addition, experts emphasize that colorectal cancer is the second type of cancer that causes the most death in the list of diseases that result in death. Making a press statement on the occasion of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is held every year in March in the world and in Turkey to raise awareness, TKRCD President Prof. Dr. Ayhan Kuzu pointed out that the colorectal cancer seen under the age of 50 has increased by more than 30 percent in the last 20 years and said, “Especially the cancer seen above the age of 50 is gradually decreasing in the statistics of the Ministry of Health. It is also increasing in cancers under 50 years of age. This is also the case in Turkey. According to the Ministry of Health, colon cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women at all ages, while colon cancer rises to the second rank in those under 50 years of age. Therefore, we need to do something against its frequent occurrence.”
YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE MUCH HIGHER RISK OF CANCER
Emphasizing that, according to a study conducted in the USA, those born in 1990 carry a risk of 2 times higher risk of colon cancer and 4 times higher risk of rectal cancer compared to those born in 1950, Kuzu said, “There has been a 30 percent increase in colon cancer seen at young ages in the last 20 years. there is. When we examine these patients, cancer seen at a young age does not cause any complaints in 10 percent of the patients. The remaining 90 percent of these young people have a complaint, but they do not go to the hospital, they postpone it. When we look at cancer patients under the age of 50, about 50 percent of them go to the doctor after 6 months, and about 70 percent of them come to us as an advanced stage. The disease has gone beyond the intestinal wall and has passed to the lymph nodes.
PAY ATTENTION TO PREVENTABLE FACTORS
Expressing that there are preventable and unavoidable causes of Colon Cancer, Kuzu continued his words as follows:
“Being at an advanced age, having a family history of colon cancer or polyp of the large intestine, having type-2 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease stand out as causes that we cannot prevent. If they exist, they already constitute a risk group. But the important thing is the risk factors that we can change.
STAY AWAY FROM INACTIVITY
When it comes to risk factors that we can change, excess weight comes first. In a study, when the body mass index increases by 5 kilograms per square meter, there is an increase in both men and women. This increase corresponds to an increase of 30 percent in men and 12 percent in women. If more than 5 kilograms per square meter is gained, the incidence of colorectal cancer at a young age increases. Another reason is inactivity. There is a serious difference between those who are inactive and those who do sports. In young people, this rate causes an increase of about 15 percent.”
BEWARE OF RISKY FOODS THAT CAN CAUSE CANCER
On the other hand, expressing that smoking has serious effects on colorectal cancer, Kuzu added that consumption of processed foods such as sausage, sausage and salami, packaged foods and low-fiber foods are among the causes of colorectal cancer.
MORE INCREASE IN WHITE RACE
Referring to a study on which races are most common in young people under the age of 50, Lamb said that between 1990 and 2014 there was an approximately 47 percent increase in Caucasian race.
(UAV)