Mr. Shen, 45 years old, has had blood in the stool for a long time. He thought it was a “normal phenomenon” caused by hemorrhoids, and he never thought of seeking medical treatment.

Three years ago, Mr. Shen’s mother was hospitalized due to illness. During that time, in order to balance work and taking care of her mother, she had to sleep Insufficient, physically and mentally exhausted, there was a lot of bleeding during defecation. After seeing a doctor, the doctor judged that the hemorrhoids were worsening, and he was worried that it might be an intestinal disease. In addition to prescribing medicine for him, he also arranged a barium colon X-ray examination. The test results were normal, and Mr. Shen’s symptoms improved a lot after applying the medicine on time.

The story is not over yet. Last year, Mr. Shen’s hemorrhage happened again. This time, he was accompanied by abdominal pain and a significant change in the shape of his stool (it became thinner and smaller, and sometimes had clear mucus), but he believed that the test results two years ago were normal, and he had no family history of the disease. I don’t care about the warning signals from my body.

It wasn’t until later that one of his classmates got colorectal cancer with exactly the same symptoms that he was alerted to the seriousness of the situation. Go to the hospital for a colonoscopy.

The result of colonoscopy in the hospital showed that it was a malignant tumor, and because of the late discovery, it was already the first time. Stage III colorectal cancer, in which cancer cells metastasize to the lymph, has a five-year survival rate of about 40 to 50 percent.

Slice pathology report

Blood in the stool should not be underestimated, colonoscopy is the most reliable

What is puzzling is why Haven’t checked the exception before? The doctor judged that there should be polyps in the intestines during the massive bleeding 3 years ago. It may be that there was an error in the barium X-ray examination (the concentration was not well matched or the illumination was not good), which affected the doctor’s judgment. The doctor believes that if a colonoscopy was done at that time to confirm it, it might be able to be found earlier and save the trouble later.

Many hemorrhoid patients, like Mr. Shen, think that the symptoms of blood in the stool are just an old disease and “endure” not to seek medical treatment , ignoring bleeding may also be a sign of colorectal cancer.

Almost all gastroenterologists have sought medical treatment for hemorrhoids without improvement, only to find out after further examination A patient with colorectal cancer. Taiwan singer Yang Lie was misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids when he first went to the doctor because of bloody stools and diarrhea.

Patients are difficult to judge, and doctors often misdiagnose. So in the end how to distinguish whether it is hemorrhoids, or colorectal cancer?

Clinically, the color of bleeding is generally used to make a preliminary judgment. The bleeding color of hemorrhoids is bright red, which is caused by venous bleeding during defecation. Cancer bleeding is dark red in color. It is caused by cancer cells invading and destroying normal tissues. The blood stays in the intestine for a period of time before being excreted with the feces.

Different color of blood in stool indicates different disease

But be careful, if the tumor is located close to the anus, it will also discharge bright red blood, so it also depends on whether there are other symptoms, such as abdominal pain, Diarrhea, a change in the shape of your stools (thin, smaller, or unshaped), or anemia, it’s best to see your doctor right away.

Earlier detection improves survival

Bowel cancer can be detected early and treated early. In addition to alert symptoms, regular screening is a more active prevention method. More than 90% of colorectal cancers come from the growth and change of polyps, and it takes about 5 to 10 years for the cancerous process. The symptoms are not obvious in the early stage, and most of the patients are in the second, third or even the end stage when they find abnormalities. Therefore, early screening and polyp removal are important lines of defense to avoid cancer.

However, the domestic screening rate is low, which shows that the public’s vigilance is not high. According to a domestic survey in 2019, the screening rate of people over 50 years old is only 20%.

causing bowel cancer to be detected too late, a National Cancer Center analysis of new cases in 2019 found that The proportion of patients with stage II and III disease exceeds 53%, while the detection rate of early colorectal cancer is less than 20%, which is lower than the 29% in the United States.

Who are the high-risk groups?

Tuna Maw please be careful:

The latest domestic survey found that waist circumference (an indicator of metabolic syndrome) is closely related to bowel cancer. People with tuna maw (abdominal fat, thin elsewhere) have 2 to 3 times the risk of developing multiple intestinal polyposis. As for why the two are related, further research is needed.

People over 50:< /p>

Singer Yang Lie, writer Zhang Xiaofeng, director Yang Dechang, and Hong Kong artist Zhong Chuhong’s husband Zhu Jiading all fell ill around the age of 50.

The American Cancer Society recommends an annual fecal occult blood test and a sigmoidoscopy every 5 years for the general public after age 50. Screening or barium X-ray ultrasonography, full colonoscopy every 10 years. 75% of colorectal cancer patients have no family history, so early detection is particularly important.

Family history:

If one parent suffers from colorectal cancer, the risk of children suffering from colorectal cancer is 2 to 4 times that of the general population. If both parents have both, the risk increases by 3 to 6 times .

Recent colorectal cancer tends to be younger, more and more patients under the age of 50, so there are family Patients with medical history should start colonoscopy early at age 40.

Personal medical history:

Includes colorectal cancer, chronic inflammatory colitis such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and adenomatous polyps. People with a history of colorectal cancer have a 50% chance of recurrence. It is best to follow up once every three months, every six months after two years, and once a year after five years. Follow up every 3 years; for patients with chronic inflammatory colitis, it is recommended to start screening 8 years after the onset.