It is the most common tumor and the second most deadly, and although most patients are over 50 when diagnosed, seven out of ten people over that age consider it unlikely to develop colon cancer and only 62.5 % the fecal occult blood test is done.
And that nine out of ten patients would survive if they underwent this early detection test, recalled the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), on the occasion of World Day against Colon Cancer this Friday, in which they wanted influence the importance of screening programs and encourage the population to have healthy lifestyle habits.
Every day of 2022, 112 cases were diagnosed, a total of 41,646 citizens with the second deadliest cancer there is -only surpassed by lung cancer-, which last year killed 15,519 people. The average age of presentation is 70-71 years and the majority of patients -men and women almost equally- are over 50 years of age at the time of diagnosis, although it can also appear in younger people.
The “luck” of this cancer, like that of the cervix and breast, is that it can be detected in very early stages with screening, said Mariluz Amador, medical director of the AECC, during the presentation of the “Study on Population Screening Programs of Colorectal Cancer” that the Association has prepared to find out the perception and attitudes that the population between 50 and 69 years of age have about the disease.
Conducted on 5,313 interviews with people from all over Spain in this age group, the result is that the vast majority of respondents (97.6%) know about this tumor, 82.4% about screening programs and 87% about Fecal Occult Blood Test (TSOH), the doctor has shelled.
72.5% claim to have received the invitation from their ministry, which is attended by 77.1% of those mentioned; In total, 62.5% confirm having undergone the test, either within the screening program or individually. Between 6% and 7% of tests end up being positive.
“Obviously, we are not reaching everyone for two reasons: one because they have not been invited and two, because despite having been, they do not go or are thinking about it,” said Javier Carrasco, president of the Federation of Nursing Associations. Familiar y Comunitaria, who has advocated for a “change of strategy” in consultations so that they actively recruit the entire population at risk.
The differences by community are notable: among those interviewed, those who have received the letter the most have been those from Catalonia (88.1%), Navarra (87.9%), the Basque Country (87.1%), and Castilla y Leon (84.6%). At the other extreme are the Balearic Islands (22.5%), the Canary Islands (37.4%), Ceuta (38.1%), Extremadura (41.2%), Aragón (47.7%), Melilla (54 .2%), La Rioja (53.4%) and Murcia (60.4%).
Those who do not have it given as the main reason that not having received the invitation (39.9%), the lack of symptoms or being in good health (39.6%), forgetfulness or neglect (28.6%), the desire to stay away from medical centers in this pandemic context (24.9%) and the perceived saturation in public health (22.1%).
On the contrary, those who do decide to have it “because they are very clear about what the disease is and what the screening is for”, so they do the test mainly to rule out that they have it and because they know that if it is detected soon, “it will be cured most”.
Although their age places them at a medium risk of developing a colorectal tumor, seven out of ten respondents see it as very unlikely that this could happen. Age is a non-modifiable risk factor, but not the only one: having had this tumor before, developing adenomatous polyps, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, or family history are also.
But there are others that can be avoided, such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, or diets rich in animal fat and low in fiber. Faced with this scenario, the AECC has launched the “Move your ass” campaign to encourage the population to maintain healthy lifestyle habits and go to their appointment with the test that can save their lives, a test that, they insist, is fast, painless, hygienic and non-invasive.
