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colorectal cancer, the most diagnosed tumor in Spain, with 44,000 cases per year, is closely linked to lifestyle. Age (over 50), family history, and inflammatory bowel disease are also risk factors, but we can’t change them. What we can influence to reduce the chances of developing this disease is in our habits.
There are several factors that increase the risk, such as: obesitya low physical activityexcessive consumption of processed red meats and low fiber intake. In addition, associations have been observed between elements of the intestinal microbiome and colorectal cancer. The change in the number and types of bacteria that inhabit our intestines alters the structure and function of the microbiome and the metabolic and immune pathways that mediate the development of colorectal cancer.
Maintain a normal weight from an early age reduces the risk of colorectal adenomas. For Professor Enrique Aranda, head of the Reina Sofía University Hospital Medical Oncology Service in Córdoba and president of the TTD Group, it is important to make citizens aware that to do physical exercise It’s fundamental”. “Fat is an inflammatory state, and chronic inflammation attracts a lot of cytokines, which promote cancer in organs that are inflamed,” he explains.
In addition, there is evidence of the protective effect of fiber consumption against colorectal cancer, with a risk reduction of up to 40% in people with a high daily consumption, while the association between consumption of processed meat and colorectal cancer is also confirmed: an 18% increase for every 50 grams of processed meat consumed per day.
“It is essential to adopt favorable lifestyle habits that avoid a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, diets rich in fat or the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. is also key participate in population screening programs from the age of 50.The identification of people who have a higher risk of suffering from colon cancer is also important (personal or family history or the existence of predisposing conditions). This allows these people to be more closely monitored in order to take preventive measures,” explains Mariluz Amador, medical director of the Spanish Association Against Cancer.
Get screened and have good dietary habits and a healthy lifestyle (follow a low-fat diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, calcium and vitamin Dreduce red meat, and avoid being overweight, not smoking, exercising and moderate alcohol intake), are crucial measures that help prevent colorectal cancer, according to the recommendations of the Spanish Foundation of the Digestive System (FEAD) .
Dr. José Ignacio Martín Valadés, head of the Multidisciplinary Unit for Digestive Tumors and Peritoneal Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, recalls that the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles such as physical inactivity, a sedentary lifestyle, the consumption of sugary drinks and Increased caloric intake progressively leads to an energy imbalance and ultimately to the development of obesity, one of the best-known risk factors for the development of colorectal cancer. Likewise, the specialist also recalls the importance of No Smoking and of Avoid drinking alcohol.
Together with these recommendations, Dr. Martín Valadés highlights the importance of carrying out screening tests on the general population that allow early detection of this tumor and, therefore, a greater probability of cure. In this sense, already in 2018, the American Cancer Society recommended in the US to advance the age of starting screening tests in the general population (without family history or predisposing diseases) to 45 years.
Regarding the warning symptoms, it is always necessary to consult when changes in the intestinal rhythm are detected in the last month (constipation or diarrhoea), abdominal pain, bleeding, tenesmus, tiredness, anemia and weight loss. “In the face of any suspicion, it is better to arrive early than a month late,” concludes Dr. Aranda.
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