Early prevention methods for colon cancer

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of death in the world. Although there have been great advances in the treatment of colon cancer, the five-year survival rate of advanced colon cancer has not improved much over the years. Therefore, the prevention of colon cancer is becoming increasingly important.

To prevent colon cancer, we should "eat a reasonable diet, exercise moderately, quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption, and maintain a balanced mentality". Specific measures include the following:

1. Regular check-ups: People at high risk of colorectal cancer, such as men over 40 years old, patients with familial multiple intestinal polyps, patients with ulcerative colitis, patients with chronic schistosomiasis and those with a family history of colorectal cancer should have regular check-ups and be alert to the signs and early symptoms of colorectal cancer, such as changes in bowel habits, alternating diarrhea and constipation, bloody or black stools, and flatter and thinner stools.

2. Improve eating habits: Change the habit of eating meat and high-protein foods as the staple food. Eat less high-fat foods, especially control the intake of animal fat. Arrange daily diet reasonably, eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods rich in carbohydrates and crude fiber, and appropriately increase the proportion of coarse grains and whole grains in the staple food, and avoid eating too fine or too refined.

3. Prevent and treat intestinal diseases: Actively prevent various polyps, chronic enteritis (including ulcerative colitis), schistosomiasis, chronic dysentery, etc. Intestinal polyps should be treated early. There are five major categories of colon polyps, namely adenomatous polyps, inflammatory polyps, hamartomatous polyps, biochemical polyps and mucosal hypertrophy. Among them, adenomatous polyps are true tumor polyps and precancerous lesions of colon cancer. Therefore, when colon adenomas are found, they should be removed at the benign adenoma stage and pathological examination should be performed. If not treated early, most of them will develop into colon cancer. In addition, habitual constipation should be actively treated and attention should be paid to keeping bowel movements smooth.

4. Chemical drug prevention: The drugs currently used to prevent colon cancer are mainly: 1) Antioxidants: Their mechanism of action is to protect DNA from free radical damage. They include vitamins C and E, β2-carotene, folic acid, etc. 2) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: This type of drug has been proven to inhibit the occurrence of colon cancer. (3) Other related drugs under study include: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ligand, dimethyl sulfoxide (DFMO), calcium (combined with bile acid), vitamin D, epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors, matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, etc.

5. Exercise actively: find an exercise method that suits you, strengthen your physical fitness, improve your immunity, relax yourself, relieve stress, and maintain a good attitude.