Contents
Tumors of the colon and anus are the second most common in women. Unfortunately, the disease also affects those who are expecting a child. Colorectal cancer in future mothers is diagnosed more often than before, and has a worse prognosis. Experts explain why this is so.
- One of the reasons why colorectal cancer is diagnosed more often in pregnant women is that the average age of onset of the disease in the entire population is lowered.
- The diagnosis of colorectal cancer in pregnant women is particularly difficult because pregnancy masks the early symptoms of cancer
- The cancer of this organ detected in the fourth stage of advancement gives only 10 percent. five years from diagnosis
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Colon cancer in pregnancy – symptoms
The number of pregnant women who will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer will increase as more and more women postpone motherhood, and at the same time more and more young ladies start to develop this cancer, experts estimate.
As they remind in the campaign «Do not miss the symptoms. Be a mother aware of the symptoms of colorectal cancer », colorectal cancer occurs with the frequency of two cases per 100 pregnancies. Importantly, this group is more likely to suffer from neoplasms conditioned by genetic predisposition.
Symptoms related to pregnancy may be similar to those of colon cancer – e.g. change in bowel habits (alternating diarrhea and constipation), bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract or anemia (anemia), abdominal cramps and pain, weakness and fatigue. Therefore, doctors often do not think about the need for in-depth diagnostics when the expectant mother reports the above symptoms, which hinders and delays the diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
Pregnancy masks the early signs of cancer
«Cancer in a pregnant woman is statistically diagnosed later compared to the rest of the population. The physiological changes in a woman’s body mask the early symptoms of cancer and are sometimes underestimated. The first symptoms may also go unnoticed during the breastfeeding period. Therefore, the mere awareness of the coexistence of cancer and pregnancy is very important »- explains Dr. Sebastian Kwiatkowski from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 2 of the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin.
As the specialist adds, quoted in the press release sent to PAP, the number of cancers is systematically increasing and this is related to the changing lifestyle in industrialized countries. “Taking into account the possibility of cancer by the doctor in charge of pregnancy may turn out to be invaluable and save the life of the future mother” – emphasizes the expert.
The rest of the article is available under the video.
Colorectal cancer in a pregnant woman – prognosis
The prognosis for pregnant patients with colorectal cancer is directly related to the severity of the disease. Early detection of this cancer can save the mother’s life and provide her with a better quality of life. Statistics show that colorectal cancer detected early is curable in 90%. cases, while detected in the fourth stage gives only 10 percent. five-year survival.
It happens that timely unrecognized colorectal cancer is detected after the baby is born, when symptoms attributed to health problems persist during pregnancy.
If the presence of colorectal cancer is suspected during pregnancy, the doctor may perform various diagnostic tests, such as digital rectal examination, fecal occult blood test – the FIT test (fecal immunochemical test), ultrasound examination (USG), considered safe for both mother and fetus, magnetic resonance imaging, sigmoidoscopy (endoscopic examination of the three end sections of the large intestine, i.e. rectum, sigmoid colon and lower descending colon).
In the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, M2PK testing is helpful, i.e. an enzyme whose increased amount may indicate the presence of rapidly dividing cancer cells. You can do this test yourself at home and you can order it from Medonet Market.
«Our campaign» Do not miss the symptoms «is addressed to pregnant women and their families, as well as to specialists in various fields that include medical care for a woman at that time: family doctors / primary care physicians, gynecologists, midwives as well as organizations and institutions supporting future mothers in this demanding time »comments Iga Rawicka, president of the EuropaColon Polska Foundation, which organizes the campaign. She adds that the goal of the foundation’s activities is to increase the sensitivity, also of the general public, to the symptoms of colon cancer, which are often masked by pregnancy symptoms.
«We absolutely do not want to scare future mothers, but we also cannot avoid this topic. We take up difficult topics to detect colon cancer as early as possible »- explains Rawicka.
Campaign «Do not miss symptoms. Be a mother aware of the symptoms of colorectal cancer »is carried out as part of the« Wolfram Nolte Memorial Award »awarded by the EuropaColon Foundation in 2021. The award was established by the international organization Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE) and is awarded for an initiative that aims to address the local unmet needs of patients and carers. Educational materials for the campaign are available at https://europacolonpolska.pl/rak-jelita-grubego-a-ciaza/.
The EuropaColon Polska Foundation was established in 2017 by Błażej Rawicki, who died in 2020, in order to increase awareness of gastrointestinal diseases, including oncological diseases such as colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal and stomach cancer, and liver cancer. Through its activities, the Foundation aims to reduce the morbidity among the healthy and the mortality among the sick. (PAP)
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