Colorectal cancer is on the rise, is the disease genetic or not? -Life Health

Dr. Pham Van Binh, Head of Abdominal Surgery Department 1, K Hospital, Tan Trieu Campus, said that among the few hereditary cancers, colorectal cancer must be mentioned.

According to data from BV K, colorectal cancer Cancer is the 5th most common cancer in Vietnam after liver, lung, stomach and breast cancers. According to Globocan, in 2020, Vietnam recorded nearly 16,000 new cases and more than 8,200 deaths from this disease.

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Colorectal cancer is one of the few hereditary cancers, with the two most common syndromes being Lync and polyposis.

Dr. Pham Van Binh, Head of Abdominal Surgery Department 1, K Hospital, Tan Trieu Campus, said that among the few hereditary cancers, colorectal cancer must be mentioned. To date, scientists have not identified the main cause of the disease, but have found a number of risk factors that increase the disease, including genetic syndromes.

About 5% of colorectal cancer patients have a genetic predisposition, with two major syndromes being common. The first is Lync syndrome, which is hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer. This syndrome is the cause of 2-4% of colorectal cancers, usually due to inherited defects in one gene MNH1 or MSH2… Mutations in other genes can also cause this syndrome.

The second group is familial polyposis syndrome. Caused by mutations in the APC gene, passed from parent to child. The APC gene inhibits the formation of colon-borne and mutated tumors. It accounts for about 1% of colorectal cancers. Each year at K Hospital, we treat 2-3 families with many people suffering from colorectal cancer. Like the situation of Mr. Pham Duy Vinh (born in 1968, Hai Duong) born in a family of 9 siblings, 4 brothers and 5 sisters, there are 7 people with colon cancer, only 7 people have colon cancer. only 2 youngest brothers are lucky to smile. The eldest brother Pham Duy Vuong (born in 1961) also died from that disease for a long time and in 2017 again his biological mother, Vu Thi Toan (74 years old) also died of “colon cancer”. The remaining 5 siblings are currently continuing to receive treatment and re-examination at K hospital.

According to Dr. Binh, if a person has polyposis syndrome, most family members are at risk of having the disease. Therefore, when a family member is diagnosed with colorectal cancer, the whole family should go to the hospital for screening. “In this group, the very characteristic feature of the lesion is that the entire colorectal frame has thousands of polyps. There are cases where the entire colon polyps large and small are densely located like a velvet carpet, occupying the entire lining of the lumen. rectal tube.

Experts recommend, polyps are considered precancerous factors. Therefore, when polyps are detected, a flexible bronchoscopy should be performed of the entire colon and biopsies for benign or malignant neoplasms. If the cancer has progressed, a treatment plan is needed.

To prevent colorectal cancer, doctors recommend people to have a healthy diet and activities; Periodic health check, screening for early detection of colorectal cancer.