What is the cure rate of colon cancer

Cancer is a disease that many people are afraid of. After getting sick, they are very worried about their survival. However, diseases generally have early, middle and late stages. Undoubtedly, the early stage is the best treatment period. So for patients with colorectal cancer, what is the cure rate of colon cancer?

The Colorectal Cancer Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the Zhejiang Anti-Cancer Association, and the Zhejiang Cancer Hospital jointly held the 2013 Seventh National Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Summit Forum and the Greater China Colostomy Academic Seminar last weekend. Colorectal cancer experts from home and abroad attended the meeting. Many experts called for the peak age of colorectal cancer at the age of 60. For healthy people, it is best to have a colonoscopy at the age of 45. It takes about 10 years for colorectal cancer to develop from early symptoms to late stage, and the cure rate of early colorectal cancer can reach 90%.

Colorectal cancer rates on the rise

According to data released by the Zhejiang Provincial Cancer Center in 2013, colorectal cancer patients accounted for 60% of all cancers in Zhejiang Province in 2009, ranking third, only behind lung cancer and gastric cancer. The high incidence of colorectal cancer is closely related to the pace of modern people's lives, especially the changes in diet and environment. Although the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer are more standardized, there are still many patients who are already in the middle and late stages when they are discovered, which also brings more new topics.

Judging from the incidence of tumors in Zhejiang and the whole country, the incidence of colorectal cancer has been on the rise, and the rising trend of colon cancer is more obvious than that of rectal cancer. 20 years ago, the ratio of colon cancer to rectal cancer was about 3:7, but now it has become 5:5.

Intestinal polyps may lead to colorectal cancer

Nearly 80% of colorectal cancers are transformed from intestinal polyps, and high-risk intestinal polyps can be detected and removed early through colonoscopy.

A study in the United States compared two groups of people, those who had their intestinal polyps removed and those who had not, and found that the risk of colorectal cancer was reduced by about 4 times in those who had their intestinal polyps removed. Of course, intestinal polyps are a common condition and do not necessarily turn into cancer, so there is no need to panic. About 30% of middle-aged and elderly people have intestinal polyps. Generally speaking, the larger the diameter of the polyp, the greater the possibility of cancer, which depends on the doctor's examination results.

Intestinal polyps can be roughly divided into inflammatory polyps, hamartoma polyps and adenoma polyps. Among them, inflammatory polyps and hamartoma polyps almost never become cancerous, while the chance of adenomatous polyps becoming cancerous is relatively high.

The cure rate for early stage colorectal cancer is 90%

People over 45 years old who have never had a colonoscopy should have a colonoscopy and have regular checks to detect polyps early, remove them early, and avoid cancer.

Colonoscopy can not only detect early-stage colorectal cancer, but also distinguish the nature and size of colorectal polyps. Doctors can perform synchronous and painless removal of high-risk colorectal polyps based on this information. Patients only need to rest for about an hour before they can leave, greatly reducing the risk of cancer. After early-stage colorectal cancer is discovered, the cure rate can reach about 90%.

"If the colonoscopy is normal, you can have a follow-up check every 3 to 5 years. If polyps are found during the colonoscopy, you need to have a follow-up check every 3 to 6 months. If there are multiple intestinal polyps, they can be removed at the same time as the colonoscopy. Only if polyposis is found (more than 100 polyps), will it be recommended to remove the section of the intestine. Under the premise of preserving the normal function of the intestinal segment as much as possible, consider expanding preventive resection."