Colorectal cancer as the name suggests arises from the colon or rectum which are parts of our large intestine. Cancers of these regions are called colorectal cancers. These are among the five most common cancers in India, both in men and women. However, colorectal cancers can be cured if detected early and treated adequately.

It is the 3rd most common cancer in the world, occurring in more than 1700000 people every year. Some risk factors are being overweight and not having enough physical activity, smoking, moderate or high alcohol usage, a diet high in red meat or processed meat, having strong family history or genetic syndrome, and having ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.

While risk factors such as being overweight and smoking are modifiable, genetics is non modifiable. Therefore we offer genetic screening or screening by colonoscopy for early detection of the disease. For others, symptoms such as a recent change in bowl habits, bleeding in stools, unexplained weight loss or anemia, and persistent abdominal pain should be investigated without delay.

A colonoscopy with biopsy is required to establish the the diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed staging investigations such as CET/PET-CT scans are done.

Treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of two or more of these. Certain Biomarkers are also done for personalising the treatment of colorectal cancers with targeted therapies

Colorectal cancer in stage I-II is usually curable with surgery and sometimes with added chemotherapy. However in stage III the disease is more advanced and there is higher risk of it coming back. So chemotherapy is usually administered after surgery. In locally advanced rectal cancer radiotherapy is also an important tool. In stage IV unfortunately the disease is not curable. But survival has improved in recent times with chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Immunotherapy has also shown promise in a subset of these patients.

Support from family members and friends is also very important for the patient to go through the treatment journey.