Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the western world after lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Approximately 25,000 new cases of CRC are diagnosed each year in Spain. The improvement in the life expectancy of these patients has been notably improved in recent decades thanks to a better understanding of the disease, improved diagnostic techniques and a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.
The origin of colorectal cancer is multifactorial. It is a disease that predominates in the Western world and whose causes are linked to genetic and environmental factors. A clear familial component is present in 35% of cases, and the genetic disorders that trigger the disease are becoming increasingly well understood.
Most colorectal cancers are located in the colon proper, while 30% are located in the rectum, i.e. in the last 15 cm of the digestive tract.
Methods for diagnosing colorectal cancer include total colonoscopy with biopsy, radiology (CT, MRI and ultrasound) and fecal occult blood test. The latter test is part of various early detection programs for the disease. Clinical suspicion of CRC should be based on the presence of one or more of the following factors:
– A change in stool frequency and consistency (alternating diarrhea with periods of normal or constipation) maintained for more than six weeks and with no other obvious cause.
– Presence of blood in stool for more than six weeks and without anal pathologies such as hemorrhoids or fissures, which explain such blood loss.
– Anemia of unknown origin.
Nowadays, the population at risk of contracting the disease includes those persons with a direct family history of colon cancer or the finding of polyps in a previous colonoscopy.
The treatment of colorectal cancer is essentially surgical. A correct technique in expert hands is always an added guarantee in the process of eradicating the disease. Some rectal cancers require treatment with radio-chemotherapy before surgery in order to reduce the size of the tumor, while certain cases of colon cancer may benefit from treatment with chemotherapy after surgery.
Thanks to multidisciplinary treatment, a therapeutic approach is possible at any stage of the disease, aiming at eradication and improvement of the patient’s prognosis.