Month of March places spotlight on colorectal cancer
INQUIRER.net file photo
MANILA, Philippines—Did you know that March is national colorectal cancer awareness month in the Philippines?
Colorectal cancer refers to either cancer in the colon—a part of the large intestine or large bowel—or the rectum—the passageway that connects the colon to the anus—or both.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), majority of colorectal cancers usually develop first as polyps or abnormal growths inside the colon or rectum, which may later turn cancerous if not removed.
In the Philippines, colorectal cancer was among the top cancer types which had the newest cases and deaths recorded.
The death of “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman brought the spotlight on colorectal cancer in 2020, when he died at the young age of 43.
READ: Why colon cancer cases are rising among younger, more affluent
In this article, INQUIRER.net will explain more about colorectal cancer including symptoms, risk factors, and ways how to prevent and treat it.
Burden of colorectal cancer
According to data by the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) published in its online database, GLOBOCAN 2020, colorectal or colorectum cancer was the third most common type of cancer around the world with a total of 1,931,590 cases or 10 percent of the total number of cancer cases recorded in 2020 for both sexes and all ages.
It was next to breast cancer with 2,261,419 cases during the same year and lung cancer with 2,206,771 cases.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan
In terms of deaths caused by colorectal cancer, there were also 935,173 deaths recorded, or 9.4 percent of the total 9,958,133 deaths caused by cancer globally in 2020—making it the second most deadly type of cancer that year next to lung cancer.
According to numbers in the same database, there were a total of 17,364 cases of colorectal cancer recorded in the Philippines in 2020 for both sexes and all ages.
Colorectal cancer was the third most common type of cancer that year, with at least 11.3 percent of the total 153,751 cases of cancer recorded in the country.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan
The cancer type was more common among Filipino men during the same year, with a 23.7 percent incidence rate, and an incidence rate of 15.1 percent among Filipino women.
Data also showed a total of 9,091 deaths due to colorectal cancer in the Philippines in 2020—around 6,109 deaths were due to colon cancer and 2,982 deaths due to rectum cancer.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan
Symptoms and risk factors
According to DOH, symptoms of colorectal cancer included:
- changes in bowel habits
- persistent abdominal discomfort
- rectal bleeding
- weakness or fatigue
- unexplained weight loss
Symptoms, such as recurrent diarrhea and constipation, unexplained anemia and blood in the stool should be considered warning signs of colorectal cancer.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan
Like any other disease, the risk of getting colorectal cancer increases as a person gets older. However, the health department listed other risk factors for colorectal cancer, such as:
- being overweight or obese
- lack of regular physical activity
- having a diet that is high in red and/or processed meats and is low in fruit and vegetables
- smoking
- overconsumption of alcoholic drinks
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, can also increase the chances of developing colorectal cancer.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan & Daniella Agacer
Having a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps likewise increases the chances of a person getting colorectal cancer.
Familial adenomatous polyposis, a genetic syndrome, or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome) were also considered as some of the risk factors for colorectal cancer.
Prevention and treatment
Changes in lifestyle can, fortunately, decrease the risk of colorectal cancer, according to medical experts. These changes, according to DOH, included:
- eating healthy
- maintaining a healthy weight
- adding calcium and vitamin D to diet
- increasing physical activity
- limiting alcohol consumption
- avoiding tobacco
- learning more about family history
In terms of prevention, the health department said that for all men and women the “best way to prevent colon cancer and rectal cancer is screening.”
“Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable and highly treatable cancers if caught early,” said the DOH.
The DOH also recommended that adults should start screening for colorectal cancer at age 45. Still, experts noted that people younger than 45 years old can also be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
READ: Annual fecal test key to early detection of colon cancer
“[I]f you have a personal or a family history of colorectal polyps or cancer, or inflammatory bowel disease, screening may need to begin before age 45,” the American Cancer Society also said.
Treatment for colorectal cancer will depend mostly on what stage of diagnosis the cancer is at, according to DOH and Cleveland Clinic. Options to treat colorectal cancer can include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Challenges of colorectal cancer screening
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, impacted and impeded the screening for colorectal cancer across the globe.
“These screening programs throughout the world ceased operating primarily due to fear of SARS-CoV2 transmission and from decreasing health care resources,” said Jun Ruiz, a Philippine and American board-certified gastroenterologist and lead advocate for CRC screening of The Medical City.
“There is a real risk of spreading and being infected during an endoscopy examination, due to the potential aerosol-producing nature of these procedures,” Ruiz added.
Such interruption due to the global health pandemic, according to Ruiz, has resulted in a delayed diagnosis of colorectal cancer—even in cases with more advanced stages.
