The link between constipation and cancer. Colon or rectal cancer is the second or third leading cause of death from cancer in both Europe and the United States, making it a global public health problem.
Family doctor Calin Ciubotaru says that this type of cancer is especially favored by chronic constipation. “To prevent cancer, it is advisable to eat laxative foods a lot of vegetables, a lot of fruits, liquids, a lot of high-fiber foods, black bread, wholemeal, bran,” says the doctor.
The researchers estimated that a nutrient-rich diet and regular exercise can prevent colorectal cancer by 45%.
Most cases of colon cancer begin…
in the form of small clusters of benign, non-cancerous cells called adenomatous polyps. Over time, colon polyps can turn into colon cancer. Polyps can be small and give only a few symptoms.
Symptoms
One of the symptoms is a change in stool, which may contain mucus and traces of blood. The intestinal transit becomes irregular and variable in terms of consistency, constipation alternating with diarrhea. The signs of colon cancer are numerous and nonspecific. In addition to those listed so far, these include: fatigue; weakness; breathing difficulties; cramps or bloating.
The disease can also be prevented, not just detected early
Colonoscopy is the main screening test for colon and rectal cancer and one of the most important tools that leads to lower mortality from this type of cancer. „Lower digestive endoscopy (colonoscopy) is the procedure by which, with the help of an endoscope (colonoscope), the rectum, colon and terminal ileum are explored for diagnostic and / or therapeutic purposes.
Colonoscopy is, in fact, a minimally invasive, minimally traumatic procedure that aims to directly examine the inside of the colon along its entire length, as well as the last portion of the small intestine.
This is done with the help of a colonoscope, a thin and flexible tube equipped with a lens system, with high-definition magnification or visualization capability, which transmits video information from the intestinal mucosa, through a sensor, to a video processor that recomposes it, to be viewed on a monitor by the doctor who performs the procedure “, adds Dr. Florin Grama, General Surgery specialist, with skills in Digestive Endoscopy, Oncological Surgery and Laparoscopic Surgery.
The procedure is performed by doctors with competence in digestive endoscopy and lasts on average between 20-60 minutes, during which time patients are sedated for increased comfort. Colonoscopy plays an extremely important role in detecting colon or rectal cancer in the early stages, when there is the greatest chance of treatment and even cure.
Moreover, it can prevent the disease by detecting the presence of precancerous polyps that can develop into cancer. Over 80% of colon or rectal cancers develop from these adenomatous, precancerous polyps – small lesions that develop from the colorectal mucosa in months.
The link between constipation and cancer
After the age of 45-50, any person in the general population, without alarm symptoms or without relatives with a history of cancer of the digestive tract and thus considered low risk, should perform a routine colonoscopy.
The onset of the above symptoms should refer you to a specialist to determine if a colonoscopy should be performed. “If you have a family history of colon cancer (first or second degree relatives) or so-called hereditary colon cancers (familial adenomatous polyposis or hereditary non-polyposis cancer), you fall into a high-risk group and so you must perform a colonoscopy about 10 years before the age at which cancer was first diagnosed in your family, ”the doctor recommends.
A high-fat diet increases the risk so pay attention if you’re on the Keto diet
If you suffer from inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (ulcerative colitis), you should know that malignant lesions of the colon and rectum may occur over the years and so a regular colonoscopic examination is recommended to detect early stages any change that occurs. If you have risk factors for colon or rectal cancer, you should consult a gastroenterologist to determine if you should have a colonoscopy for screening before the standard age of 45-50 years, even in the absence of symptoms.
“These risk factors are: a high-fat diet, especially of animal origin; diet low in vegetable fiber (fruits and vegetables); increased consumption of red meat; increased consumption of highly processed meat (sausages, sausages) or prepared by frying or smoking; chronic excessive alcohol consumption; chronic smoking (smoking); insulin-dependent diabetes; lack of regular physical effort that frequently associates obesity “, concludes Dr. Florin Grama.