I have learned more than I wanted to know about colorectal cancer in the past 6 weeks and wanted to pass on some of what I’ve learned to you in the hope of preventing someone else going through what I’m going through.
- One out of every fourteen males and one out of every sixteen females will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime. That means if 100 of you read this, 6 or 7 of you will develop colorectal cancer at some point in your lifetime.
- For the average person, age is the main risk factor for colorectal cancer, with more than 90 per cent of cases occurring in those over 50.
- Colorectal cancer kills more people in Canada every year than every other type of cancer except lung cancer.
- Almost all cases of colorectal cancer can be cured if detected early by regular screening. If you’re over 50 OR over 40 with a family history of colorectal cancer OR if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed below, ask your doctor about getting screened. Catching it early can mean the difference between a 10 minute cure and a 10 month (or longer) cure. Colorectal cancer has virtually no symptoms in its early stages, when the disease is most treatable, which is why regular screening is important.
Colorectal cancer symptoms:
- Change in bowel habits - diarrhea or constipation or both, that lasts more than a few days.
- Blood in the stool. (Red new blood from lower down in the colon. Black stools can signify old blood from higher up in the colon)
- Narrower than normal stools consistently.
- Feeling that the bowel does not empty completely.
- Rectal bleeding.
- Persistent abdominal bloating, feelings of fullness, and cramps.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Constant tiredness and unexplained anemia.
No comments:
Post a Comment