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Colorectal Cancer Prevention
Most of the time, we give little thought to the idea that we may be setting ourselves up for colon cancer. We don't drink enough water, or eat the right foods - and our colons are filling up with disease ridden excess waste and rotting fecal matter without us even realizing it. In fact, most people don't think about colon cancer until they either have it or someone they love has it. The first step to preventing colon cancer understands what the risk factors are. Knowing that you are at risk will help motivate you to take the necessary steps to prevent it. Even if you are at high risk for colon cancer, there are steps that you can take to decrease your risk. Age is one of the biggest factors. While young people can also get colon cancer, people over fifty are at the highest risk. Those who have a family history of cancer, as well as women who have had breast cancer, uterine cancer, or ovary cancer are at high risk. Your diet can put you at risk. If your diet is high in fat and calories, and low in fiber, you are at high risk for colon cancer. Other risk factors include polyps on the wall of the colon or rectum and ulcerative colitis. If you have had either of these conditions, you will most likely develop colon cancer later on. People who have IBD, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or Crohn's Disease are also at high risk. As with any other illness or disease, it is ideal to prevent it instead of waiting to do anything until you actually have it. Prevention is easier than curing a problem. The first step in prevention is to get regular screenings. In many cases, the only sign of colon cancer is polyps that are in the colon. Finding and removing these polyps early helps to prevent full blown colon cancer. You may also need to make dietary changes. Lower your intake of fat and calories, as well as your intake of meats and alcohol. You should increase the amount of exercise you do as well. Experts also recommend that you stop smoking, and use dietary supplements to ensure that you are getting enough minerals and nutrients. You should get five servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium, and folic acid each day. It is important to maintain a healthy weight as well. The use of baby aspirin each day is also recommended. Another good way to prevent colon cancer is to cleanse your colon annually. This can now be done in a gentle manner, with the use of oral products. Annual colon cleansing, increasing your water intake, and making dietary changes will all help to prevent colon cancer. However, you should also get regular screenings to make sure that no polyps have developed. When colon cancer is detected early, it is the most curable form of cancer that there is.Scientists Identify Genetic Colorectal Cancer Risk Researchers have found a definitive link between an inherited genetic variation and colorectal cancer risk. The variation, which occurs, significantly increases a person's lifetime risk of getting the disease. This represents a tremendous opportunity to intervene with intensive colorectal cancer screening and could also have near-term implications for developing new approaches to prevention and treatment. The variation in question affects the receptor for TGF-beta, a protein that slows cell growth. The researchers found that this genetic variant makes the cell less sensitive to TGF-beta, so the cell doesn't get the signal to stop growth. If a person had colon cancer, those cells could proliferate more easily. Researchers analyzed genetic samples and clinical data from 242 colorectal cancer patients and 195 cancer-free people who agreed to participate in the trial. All of the participants were white, and the average age fell in the mid-50s. Ten percent to 20% of cancer patients showed a decreased production of a receptor for TGF-beta. Only 1% to 3% of healthy participants showed lowered numbers. The lifetime colon cancer risk of the patients with the genetic variation could be as much as 9 times that of those without the variation. "This probably accounts for more colorectal cancers than all other gene mutations discovered thus far," said Boris Pasche, MD, one of the study's authors and Director of the Cancer Genetics Program at the Feinberg School and The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University. While their findings still need to be tested in larger groups and in other racial and ethnic groups, the researchers hope to soon develop a clinical test that can be used to identify people who have the gene variant. "We will be able to identify a large number of individuals that are at risk of colorectal cancer and in the long term, maybe decrease the cases of colorectal cancer and of people dying from it by being able to screen them more frequently," said Pasche. While most colorectal cancer occurs in people who don't have a family member with the disease, up to 20% of people who get the disease have a family member who is affected. If you have a family history of colorectal cancer, you should talk to your doctor about colorectal screening before age 50, especially if you have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, child) with the disease.
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