Lot et Garonne: The Hospital is mobilizing for Mars Bleu!

February 22, 2022 – 182 views

Screening for colorectal cancer can save your life!
Colorectal cancer can affect anyone, men and women, although the vast majority of cases occur after 50 years. This is why organized screening concerns all people between the ages of 50 and 74.
It all starts most of the time, with the appearance of a benign tumor called an adenomatous polyp, which can insidiously transform between 5 and 10 years into a proven cancer. It is these adenomatous polyps that are responsible for a blood flow totally invisible to the naked eye but which can be very easily detected during a simple and quick screening test to be carried out at home!
Poor diet, alcohol, obesity, tobacco and lack of physical activity are all additional risk factors for developing colorectal cancer. Beyond screening, consider reducing the risks by adapting your lifestyle.
How to carry out a screening test?
For several years, immunological tests, also called “Hemoccult”, have been used to detect the presence of blood in the stool. Thanks to this simple, quick, painless and 100% free test, it is therefore possible to be easily fixed!
Less than 4% of the results of the “Hemoccult” test are positive. It is then necessary to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist to perform a colonoscopy in order to determine the origin of the bleeding. A positive test is not automatically synonymous with cancer, in half of the cases, the precancerous cells of the adenomatous polyps are removed during the diagnostic colonoscopy. Cancer is diagnosed in 2 out of 10 cases, half of which at stage 1, that is to say at a stage at which surgical treatment is sufficient.
While it has a real interest in controlling the disease, organized colorectal cancer screening only records a participation rate of 33% at the national level (2019 data) even though in the Netherlands this rate reached 70% participation! In Lot-et-Garonne, the participation rate is even lower with only 27% (2020 data). It is important to continue to mobilize everyone!
All women and men aged 50 to 74, with no history and no symptoms, are invited to be screened every two years. The screening kits are given by the attending physician or to the specialists taking part in the organized screening.

A specific support channel
Throughout its care, from the diagnosis of cancer to its possible surgical treatment, the professionals of the Agen-Nérac Hospital Center offer an optimized care pathway with quick access to an endoscopy procedure. The proximity of the hospital actors mobilized in the care of colorectal cancer is an asset that guarantees the cohesion and consistency of the decisions taken. This specific care channel facilitates the reduction of treatment times and also the support of the patient throughout his illness.
> In the event of a positive “Hemoccult” test, the hospital’s gastroenterology team, reinforced by the recent arrival of Dr Rémi CAYLA and Dr Ariane RAYNAUD, offers a consultation with one of the 6 medical specialists before the completion, within 15 days, of the colonoscopy. This endoscopic examination is carried out over half a day of hospitalization in the Ambulatory Surgery unit. The act itself takes place in a totally painless way, under general anesthesia, in the operating room.
In the event of a diagnosis of colorectal cancer confirmed by colonoscopy, the care offer at the Agen-Nérac Hospital Center makes it possible to continue multidisciplinary care and personalized follow-up of the patient.
> The technical platform available to our doctors allows the performance on the same site of the various complementary examinations (medical imaging with a 3T MRI, PET Scan, etc.).
> Our medico-surgical teams, in conjunction with specialists from the Bordeaux University Hospital, are able to offer appropriate treatment, discussed during the Multidisciplinary Consultation Meeting (weekly meeting between health professionals, during which the situation of a patient, the possible treatments according to the latest scientific recommendations, the analysis of the benefits and the risks incurred, as well as the assessment of the resulting quality of life).
>> If surgical treatment is indicated, the digestive surgeons of the hospital center perform minimally invasive surgery by laparoscopy in order to facilitate postoperative recovery. The patient is integrated into a comprehensive care process with personalized support and follow-up (social service assistant, dietician, psychologist, etc.). An Enhanced Rehabilitation After Surgery (RAAC) program has been set up with a dedicated nurse coordinator in order to optimize care and improve the return home.
>> If chemotherapy treatment, whether or not associated with surgery, is necessary, this can be undertaken in the Ambulatory Medicine department along with supportive care.
To make an appointment: > Gastro-Enterology Secretariat:  05.53.69.70.34  [email protected] > Digestive Surgery Secretariat:  05.53.69.70.40  secretariat.chir. [email protected]
The professionals of the hospital center mobilized!
Invested for several years in the prevention and management of colorectal cancer, the teams of the Agen-Nérac Hospital Center are mobilizing throughout the month of March to raise awareness of the importance of screening and organize various actions, in particular:
– a conference: “Colorectal Cancer, what’s new in 2022?” » aimed at health professionals in the territory on March 1st.
– awareness-raising stands for the general public on the markets of Place du Pin in Agen on Sunday 20 March and that of Nérac on Saturday 26 March.
– the presence of associations and partners in the hall of the Saint Esprit site throughout the week of March 21 to 25 to answer visitors’ questions.
Do not hesitate to follow our Mars Bleu news on the social networks of the Hospital Center!

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