aPortuguese Society of Gastroenterology (SPG) He wants to bring forward five years to 45, the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening, because in 10 years cases have doubled in people under 50.
The appeal made by the president of the SPG, Pedro Nara Figueiredo, in statements to the newspaper Lusa, comes in the month in which the Convention against Bowel Cancer was signed, and focuses on the fact that this cancer is “easily preventable” through screening, through colonoscopy. .
This test can “detect a small infection and treat people”
Gastrointestinal cancer, overall, makes up about a quarter of all cancers and is responsible for 35% of deaths, but within this, colorectal (bowel) cancer has a very important weight, according to SPG data.
“In Portugal, there are 7,000 new cases annually, and it is the second most common type of cancer among women, right after breast cancer.”The President stated that colorectal cancer (bowel cancer in general) is the second most common type of cancer among men, immediately after prostate cancer.
“From all points of view, whether in men or women, it is actually a very common tumor and has a mortality rate of 50%. A gastroenterologist has warned that half of patients die from bowel cancer.
In addition to this, the “very important” aspect, as the specialist emphasized, is the clear increase in the number of younger patients, between the ages of 45 and 50, with bowel cancer.
The 50-year threshold is important because screening for this cancer is recommended from this age onwards, but Pedro Nara Figueiredo emphasizes that a preventive attitude can reduce this increase in cases in young people in the last decade.
He said: “We are fighting and drawing attention to the importance of raising the starting age for screening for this cancer from 50 years to 45 years in light of this significant increase in cancer cases in this age group.”
A decade ago, the percentage of colorectal cancer cases under the age of 50 was 5% of all these tumors, and it currently stands at 10%.
Within a decade, cases of colorectal cancer in people younger than 50 have doubledis found.
This increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer has been associated, on the one hand, with the aging of the population, because these tumors are more common in older age groups, and, on the other hand, with an increasing prevalence of risk factors associated with cancer. Lifestyle . .
He explained that in addition to screening, preventing this cancer requires following a healthy lifestyle that depends on four factors: abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, combating obesity, and exercising.
Prevention should be the focus of attention in health policiesdefends SPG, recalling that in the case of bowel cancer, it is “highly effective” in reducing morbidity and mortality.
Symptoms of colorectal cancer
Leopoldo Matos, gastroenterologist at Luciadas Hospital in Lisbon, explains the signs you should pay attention to and how you can prevent this cancer, especially through screening.
