One of the most important problems caused by obesity is cancer. Colon cancer is one of them. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in normal people. This risk is even higher in those with obesity problems. Colon cancer does not appear out of nowhere. It is formed in a 5-10 year period on the ground of fungal protrusions called polyps in the intestine. If these polyps are detected and removed in the early period, the risk of developing cancer is prevented from the beginning.
As with any cancer, screening tests are very important to prevent colon cancer. Among these, the gold standard screening method is colonoscopy. My General Surgery Specialization dissertation was actually about this subject. For those who want to read my thesis, I leave the link here. https://cms.galenos.com.tr/Uploads/Article_36580/turkishjcrd-30-42-En.pdf
My thesis advisor and teacher, Prof. Dr. At that time, together with Ayhan Kuzu, we performed colonoscopy for screening purposes, on a completely voluntary basis, for the relatives of patients who had surgery for colon cancer. In this study, which included my study and consisted of 350 people, very early cancer was detected in polyps taken from the large intestine in nearly 10 people. Dozens of other people have been diagnosed with polyps at high risk of becoming cancerous. All of these polyps were removed during colonoscopy with a procedure called polypectomy. Think about it, even with this narrow study, the development of colon cancer in dozens of people was prevented from the beginning.
An article on this topic was recently published in one of the important scientific journals, the New England Journal of Medicine (NORDIC study). https://fascrs.org/news/ascrs-response-to-the-nordicc-study
In this study, 84000 people over the age of 45 underwent colonoscopy once for screening purposes. Then these people were followed for 10 years. The results of the study are very striking. It was determined that the risk of developing colon cancer was reduced by 30% in these people who had colonoscopy, and the death rate due to colon cancer was reduced by 50%. This study once again demonstrated how important screening colonoscopy is to prevent colon cancer. If you are over the age of 45, especially if you have a weight problem, be sure to have your screening colonoscopy, whether you have a complaint or not. Colon cancer is a preventable disease.
How to do a colonoscopy
Why is colon cancer more common in those with obesity problems?
