How can I have colon cancer at such a young age?

In everyone's impression, colorectal cancer usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly people, but if I tell you that more and more young people are also suffering from this disease, would you be surprised? But this is the fact. Recently, the digestive endoscopy room received a 29-year-old young woman who had repeated abdominal pain and discomfort. She wanted to come to the hospital for a gastroscopy. Under the advice of the director, the patient underwent a painless gastrointestinal endoscopy.

The gastroscopy went very smoothly, with only mild gastritis. Then, a colonoscopy was performed. The camera slowly moved forward in the patient's intestines. When the camera was 15 cm away from the anal verge, a picture suddenly flashed: a huge circumferential space-occupying lesion. The lesion had caused the intestinal cavity to narrow and the scope could not be inserted further. This looked like advanced rectal cancer, to the point where it could not be removed under endoscopy. The director took a biopsy for her and couldn't help but sigh: If it is confirmed to be rectal cancer, it would be a pity for such a young girl!

1. What is painless gastroenteroscopy?

The so-called painless gastroenteroscopy is intravenous general anesthesia. Simply put, it is an anesthesia method that allows the patient to "sleep and the gastroenteroscopy will be completed."

2. Why not do a gastrointestinal endoscopy earlier?

At this time, we will inevitably have questions. During the development of rectal cancer, did the body of this young woman have any "help signals"? For example: 1. Changes in bowel habits: diarrhea, constipation, alternating constipation and diarrhea, thinning of stools, etc. 2. Abdominal pain: Some patients have abdominal pain as the first or prominent symptom, while other patients show symptoms of incomplete intestinal obstruction, such as paroxysmal abdominal colic, abdominal distension, flatulence, and poor defecation. 3. Mucus stool or mucus, pus and blood stool: The blood is dark red, usually mixed with feces, and the urge to defecate is frequent. Sometimes only some blood or mucus is released, but no feces. 4. Systemic symptoms such as anemia, low fever, fatigue, edema, and unexplained weight loss; Later, I asked the patient about her symptoms, and she replied: There was blood in the stool, and I thought it was hemorrhoids at the time. It was a very familiar answer, and there were too many such cases, so at work, I repeatedly told my patients not to "misunderstand" hemorrhoids. Many colorectal cancers were misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids.

3. Gastrointestinal endoscopy is really important!

It may be a cliché again, but gastrointestinal endoscopy is really important. The World Health Organization clearly points out that the only way to prevent and treat digestive tract cancer is early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment. Who needs a gastrointestinal endoscopy?

4. Indications for gastroscopy:

People who experience digestive tract discomfort, such as difficulty swallowing, nausea, vomiting, belching, acid reflux, black stools, abdominal pain, bloating, etc.;

Patients who have been diagnosed with upper gastrointestinal tract lesions such as Helicobacter pylori infection, polypectomy, esophageal varices, etc. and need regular follow-up examinations, patients undergoing dynamic treatment, and patients suspected or confirmed to have foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract;

Having bad living habits, such as smoking, drinking, irregular diet or overeating or eating too much meat and fish, liking pickled food and barbecue, high work pressure, often staying up late, etc.;

People with a family history of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, etc., and whose physical examinations reveal elevated digestive tract tumor indicators and unexplained anemia and weight loss;

Regular physical examinations are recommended for the general population over 40 years old, regardless of gender.

5. Indications for colonoscopy:

Patients with digestive tract symptoms such as lower abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits and characteristics (from once a day to multiple times a day), constipation, loose stools, blood in the stool, black stools, and bloody stools with mucus in the nasal discharge;

Patients with unexplained lower gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, abdominal mass, intestinal diseases that cannot be ruled out, and unexplained weight loss and anemia;

Having bad living habits, such as smoking, drinking, irregular diet or overeating or eating too much meat and fish, liking pickled food and barbecue, high work pressure, often staying up late, etc.;

People with a family history of colorectal cancer and patients who need regular follow-up;

Patients with confirmed intestinal lesions such as inflammatory bowel disease, colon polyps, early cancer and postoperative colon cancer who require endoscopic treatment and regular follow-up;

Regular physical examinations are recommended for the general population over 40 years old, regardless of gender.

The digestive system is like a door in our lives. The nutrients outside the door can enter our body after being absorbed. Gastroenteroscopy is the gatekeeper of this door. It can help us find problems in time and prevent them before they happen.

(Author: Wang Wenwen)