April 15-21, 2024 is the 30th National Cancer Prevention and Control Awareness Week. In recent years, the number of colorectal cancer patients has been continuously increasing, and many patients are already in the middle and late stages of treatment. Zhang Haizeng, Director of the Colorectal Surgery Department of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, stated in an interview with People's Daily that colorectal cancer is not an incurable disease. Early detection and treatment can also cure cancer. "Colorectal cancer is a malignant tumor, mainly caused by lesions in the colon or rectum." Zhang Haizeng introduced that colorectal cancer is one of the more common malignant tumors in the digestive system. Initially, it may be a small non cancerous mass (adenoma), and over time, some of it may gradually develop into cancer, usually with a long process from onset to cancer transformation. Colorectal cancer is generally divided into two types: colon cancer and rectal cancer. Colon cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the colon, while rectal cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the rectum. These two types of cancer are sometimes collectively referred to as colorectal cancer. Zhang Haizeng said that in clinical practice, colorectal cancer usually has no obvious symptoms in the early stages of onset; When the condition develops to a certain extent, there will be symptoms such as disordered stool characteristics, frequent urination, and bloody stools, which are easily confused with symptoms of hemorrhoids, constipation, and other diseases, and can be easily ignored by patients. "Many patients with colorectal cancer are already in the middle and late stages of their first diagnosis," Zhang Haizeng said. "It is necessary to strengthen early screening, detect and treat early, and the cure rate of colorectal cancer can reach over 90%.". Colonoscopy is the gold standard for screening colorectal cancer. For healthy individuals, it is recommended to undergo colonoscopy for those aged 45 and above; People with a family history of colorectal cancer or other high-risk factors should undergo colonoscopy earlier. Individuals with a history of colorectal polyps, a history of colorectal cancer, a family history of colorectal cancer, long-term irregular bowel movements or changes in bowel characteristics, long-term high protein, high fat, low fiber diets, and overweight individuals are all high-risk groups for colorectal cancer. Zhang Haizeng also stated that polyps are the seeds of cancer. It usually takes 5 to 10 years to transform from colorectal polyps to colorectal cancer. 70% to 80% of colorectal cancer is caused by malignant transformation of colorectal polyps, but the risk of malignant transformation varies among different types of colorectal polyps. Inflammatory polyps, proliferative polyps, and hamartoma polyps generally do not undergo malignant transformation; Adenomatous polyps can become malignant, such as tubular adenomas, mixed adenomas, and villous adenomas. "At present, there has been great progress in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer, and there are some effective preventive measures." Zhang Haizeng suggests that in daily life, we should reduce the intake of high protein, high fat, refined, pickled and smoked foods, and increase the intake of vegetables, fruits, and coarse grains; Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption; Strengthen exercise, reduce obesity, and prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer from its etiology. At the same time, actively prevent and treat colorectal polyps and ulcerative colitis. For multiple polyps, adenomatous polyps, and intestinal polyposis, once diagnosed, early surgical resection should be performed to reduce the chance of cancer. (Lai Xin She)