{"id":44325,"date":"2025-04-03T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T04:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=44325"},"modified":"2025-04-02T09:14:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T07:14:20","slug":"colorectal-cancer-claims-about-a-million-lives-worldwide-every-year-screening-is-crucial-for-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2025\/04\/colorectal-cancer-claims-about-a-million-lives-worldwide-every-year-screening-is-crucial-for-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorectal cancer claims about a million lives worldwide every year \u2013 screening is crucial for prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"
The number of colon and rectal cancer cases has been rising sharply in recent decades: This is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, claiming the lives of about a million people a year. In addition to detecting an existing tumor, the disease can also be prevented by timely colonoscopy and the removal of polyps that are prone to cancerous growth. Our article describes how to prepare for the screening, what happens during the colonoscopy, and what to expect afterward.<\/div>\n

Colonoscopy is the most important screening and prevention method for colon and rectal tumors and for lower gastrointestinal bleeding (hemostasis). The procedure is indicated for diseases or suspected diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Although many people are concerned about colonoscopy, with proper planning, preparation and cooperation \u2013 even under anesthesia or sedation \u2013 the examination is the only suitable procedure to diagnose intestinal diseases, perform therapeutic interventions and prevent the development of tumors, says Dr. P\u00e1l Miheller, Professor at the Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology (ST\u00e9G) of Semmelweis University.<\/p>\n

A colonoscopy will be successful only if the bowel is properly purged, and certain dietary restrictions may be helpful. In most cases, preparation for the scan starts a few days ahead of the colonoscopy at home. One week before the intervention, you should no longer eat small-seeded foods (such as grapes, multigrain pastries, and poppy seeds) and foods that might stain the intestinal contents, such as tomatoes, beetroot, peppers, and chocolate. On the day before the screening, have a light breakfast (yoghurt and a slice of white bread, for example), and clear liquid for lunch. Skip dinner. On the day of the exam, drink only water until two hours before the start of the procedure. The day before the test, the colon should be purged with laxative tablets, suppositories, or colon cleansing.<\/p>\n

\n

A colonoscopy can be performed while the patient is awake, sedated, or under general anesthesia. A decision on which method is the most appropriate \u2013 taking into account the symptoms, medical history, and individual circumstances \u2013 can be made after a medical consultation,” notes Dr. P\u00e1l Miheller.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He adds that anesthesia and sedation can also affect circulation and breathing, so it should be used with even greater caution in patients with chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary disease and elderly patients.<\/p>\n

During the examination, the doctor carefully inserts a small, flexible, high-resolution optical instrument (colonoscope) through the rectum and moves it into the colon while blowing air (carbon dioxide) and injecting water into the intestine to get a clear view of the lesions. During a colonoscopy, it is possible to remove benign tumors (polyps) and even early-stage malignant tumors. Targeted colonic sampling and histological examination of removed polyps will determine the further steps to be taken. The process of colonoscopy is completed only after the patient has discussed the results with their doctor.<\/p>\n

\n

It is recommended for patients over 50 to undergo a screening test even if they are free of symptoms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Orsolya D\u00e1vid
\nTranslation: Judit Szabados-D\u0151tsch
\nPhoto by Attila Kov\u00e1cs \u2013 Semmelweis University; cover: Semmelweis Studio<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102255,"featured_media":44327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,286],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-x-nyitolap"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102255"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44328,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44325\/revisions\/44328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}