Colon cancer prevention

Mon, May 12 2008

— By Yagya V. Kapila, M.D, FACG
Gastroenterology
WEATHERFORD — Medical advancement has reached new heights as researchers now say that cancer can be prevented. Studies show that 65-85 percent of cancers, including colorectal cancer, can be avoided through diet and lifestyle changes. In addition, technological innovation continues to provide physicians with better ways to detect cancer. Now, the development of preventive medicine may be able to stop cancer before it starts. Researchers are exploring the idea of chemoprevention, the use of natural or man-made chemicals to lower the risk of cancer.
Lifestyle changes that include a regimen of exercise and a healthy diet have been recognized as ways to lower the risk of various diseases and cancers. This also applies to colorectal cancer. However, now researchers think that certain food can actually prevent the disease. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables may inhibit 30 to 35 percent of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. The National Cancer Institute recommends at least three to five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. In addition, it helps to have a diet rich in folic acid, calcium, fiber and vitamin D.
Scientists are exploring several other ways to prevent colorectal cancer. Currently, gene therapy trials are being conducted to discover how changes in DNA cause cells in the colon and rectum to become cancerous. This research could lead to new drugs and treatments.
Some studies show that the regular use of aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer up to 50 percent. Although this has not been proven and additional research is necessary, scientists are interested in pursuing the possible connection between aspirin use and reduced cancer risk.
With continued technological advancement, screening methods will also improve. The advent of virtual colonoscopy, a test that provides a detailed CT scan of the colon, promises a quicker and easier way to detect colorectal cancer. Although virtual colonoscopy currently lacks the accuracy of other tests, eventually it may be able to replace the traditional, more invasive method of screening.
Cancer research promises vast improvements in the prevention and detection of colorectal cancer. Until further methods of prevention are approved, adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce the chance of colorectal cancer. This will significantly decrease the chance that you or a loved one will contract the disease.
In finality apart from change in dietary habits the gold standard of colorectal cancer prevention is a colonoscopy exam, which has proven to reduce death and disease from colorectal cancer significantly. Every person above the age of 50 is advised to have a colonoscopy and depending upon findings of polyps repeat in 5 to 10 years. If there is family history of colorectal cancer then colonoscopy should be started ten years earlier than the age of diagnosis of family member.
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Dr. Yagya Kapila is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of digestive system diseases and is a member of the medical staff at Weatherford Regional Medical Center.