Hyderabad: Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer across the world with 49,190 deaths recorded till July 2016 by the American Cancer Society and more than 14,000 new cases identified during this time.
The tumours occur in the rectum, colon and also the large intestine. The most common complaint by patients is bloody stools, constant diarrhoea and also changes in bowel movements. Cases documented over the years by experts across the world show that those who are overweight or obese have a greater risk of colorectal cancer. Other causes are inflammatory bowel syndrome, unhealthy diet, high-fat diet and eating a lot of marinated food.
Dr Kishore V. Alapati, senior consultant colorectal surgeon at Institutes of Colorectal Surgery at Apollo Hospitals said, “Men suffer from this disease more than women. One of the common reasons found in the investigated cases is intake of red meat, processed meats and no proper fibre in diets. Being physically inactive was also found to be one of the major reasons for increased risks. We see at least 15 cases of colorectal cancer at our institute in Hyderabad every month.”
Most people who report to clinics are in stage two or three of the disease. Dr C. Ram, senior oncologist at MNJ Cancer Institute said, “Colorectal cancer has also been found in those patients who are very lean, it was found that they had a family history of bad bowel habits. Constipation was one of the commonest complaints in these patients and it had been neglected for too long, resulting into the development of the disease.”
