‘Colorectal cancer cases on the rise’

Chennai

“But now, in India, this cancer is occurring more, especially among the under 40 age-group,” said Dr Deepak Subramanian, Consultant – Minimal Access & Bariatric Surgery at Fortis Malar.  Experts also added that the incidence is expected to rise multifold in the age group of 20-34 years by 2030. A document by the Indian Council of Medical Research put together in 2014 on the management of colorectal cancer, noted that it had the lowest incidence in India compared to the West and other countries in South East Asia. However, it has seen a steady rise with increasing urbanisation in India. Among all digestive cancers, this cancer carries the best prognosis largely due to the multidisciplinary treatment options that have dramatically improved over the last decade.

Factors at work

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and the third most common in women worldwide. “Now, with it becoming a cause for concern in India, there are some factors associated with it, such as alcohol and red meat consumption, westernisation of dietary patterns, familial history and environmental pollution,”  added Dr Subramanian.  Also, those diagnosed tended to go to a clinician at an advanced stage of the disease. This made treatment more difficult, with chances of recovery low, doctors said.

“At least, five per cent of colorectal cancers are hereditary, like breast cancer. Therefore, we need to look into the family circles to ascertain the propensity of the person to later develop the condition,” said Professor Dr Anitha Ramesh, Head, Oncology, Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals. “The underlying cause is consumption of items like deep fried food that are difficult to digest and the toxins stay in the colon, which  later develop into cancer. However, on the contrary, if the diet is going to consist of bananas and papayas, apart from food high in fibre, they are going to be flushed out from the system,” she added.

Some of the most common symptoms of colorectal cancer are change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, dark stools, or blood in the stool, cramping or abdominal (belly) pain, weakness and fatigue and unintended weight loss. However, some of these symptoms show up when the cancer has grown. Diagnosis involves colonoscopy, CT scan or MRI and the line of treatment includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.

Spotting it early

Fortis Malar Hospital recently launched a comprehensive colorectal clinic to start screening people, to spot the disease at an early stage. The clinic will be screening those with conditions like Crohn’s Disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract, and diverticulitis, an inflammation or infection in one or more small pouches in the digestive tract. Experts say that most often, polyps in rectum or colon, when left untreated go on to become cancerous.

Dr C Palanivelu, GEM Hospitals and Research Centre, Coimbatore, said that the disease is completely curable when spotted early.

“There is a pattern of prevalence in the south of colorectal cancer cases, but we are yet to ascertain the exact incidence rate here. Minimally invasive techniques can also be applied for the treatment which reduces recovery time. But the emphasis is on creating awareness among people so that clinicians can spot it early,” he added.