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If you are in your 40s or about to turn 40, you may want to consider having a colonoscopy; This exam could make a difference for an opportune detection of colon cancer and its adequate treatment.
For Guillermo Barrios Ochoa, a surgeon specialized in digestive, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, this test can be decisive in people’s lives; this, regardless of whether they are men or women. With proper care, cancer can be beaten.
He explained that the laparoscopic point refers to small incisions through the abdomen to solve abdominal problems of any kind; while the endoscopic one is carried out through the approach through small natural orifices such as the nose, mouth or anus and detect diseases.
Through the latter, they can be resolved without the need for open or laparoscopic surgery.
Prevention is the key to health, stated Barrios Ochoa; this within the framework of World Colorectal Cancer Awareness Day, which is commemorated on March 31.
Barrios Ochoa mentioned that colorectal cancer has a third place in incidence in the cases that are registered worldwide; only surpassed by prostate cancer and lung cancer in men.
While in women it is in second place, with the breast in first place and the lung in third place. Colon cancer is three times more common than rectal cancer, she noted.
What causes colon cancer?
The causes that originate colon cancer are multifactorial, firstly it is age, there is a higher incidence between 40 and 50 years, he commented.
Another factor is the intake of red meat, due to the increase in bile acids; animal fats, alcohol and some parasites are also triggers.
But in addition, family history can be a source of alarm for this disease to occur, he indicated.
“If we had a relative, whether it be the grandfather, the father or the mother, we have up to a 30 percent chance of developing colon cancer inherited,” he mentioned.
There are other factors, such as diabetes, obesity or inflammatory colitis, that can also be triggers of a cancer of this type, he added.
The problem with colon cancer is that it is asymptomatic, hence the importance of undergoing tests for early detection.
“The recommendation is to start with a colonoscopy at age 40, according to protocol; to see that something is not growing that will later develop cancer, ”she explained.
With a colonoscopy, premalignant lesions can be detected, these are polyps; that is, growths like pimples that can be a border on the mucosa and those pedunculated polyps where it is easier to remove them, she explained.
The key is prevention
The specialist emphasized that here lies the importance of having exams from the age of 40; these must be practiced in both men and women, every five years.
But in the case of those who have the risk of the hereditary factor, they should practice it every three years from the age of 40, he specified.
“The success of medicine is prevention. If it is prevention, obviously you have to start with a colonoscopy at age 40 and repeat this every five years, ”he mentioned.
On the other hand, he indicated that when patients come to perform an endoscopy, an average of 2 cases are recorded for every 10 patients who turn out to have cancer.
This only in the Specialty Medical Center, where he provides his services. The figure in the general population could reach 3 out of 10 patients, he said.
As preventive measures, people should understand that if there are cases of cancer in relatives, it is necessary to go for tests after 40 years of age.
It is also necessary to consider eating a healthy diet, reducing the consumption of red meat and fats; also do not smoke, avoid excessive alcoholic beverages and exercise.
“Take care of your diet, go to the doctor regularly and have a primary control exam of a colonoscopy from the age of 40; this to arrive at an early diagnosis. That it can even be cured through the same colonoscopy, without going through surgery many of the times”, he pointed out.
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