Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, accounting for approximately 10% of all cancer cases and is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. It predominantly affects those individuals, aged 50 years and above. 

However, latest trends show that it is affecting younger people in the third and fourth decade of their lives. In India, the incidence and mortality has been high in states of Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala, as well as in South Indian Cities of Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru.

The incidence of CRC has been increasing in India, with some registries reporting a 20% to 124% increase per year. In India, there has not been a formal mandated recommendation or strong advocacy for colorectal cancer screening (CRC) despite well established guidelines in the developed world for the past 25 years.

The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), recommends colonoscopy and Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) as the primary screening modalities for Colorectal Cancer screening. The FIT is a screening test for colorectal cancer that checks for hidden blood in the stool, however it doesn’t detect the presence of pre-cancerous lesions called ‘polyps’ that leads to the development of colorectal cancer. Current scientific advancements are being made to detect polyps as well.

At Continental Hospitals for the past 3 years, following recommended guidelines for CRC, have screened several thousand patients by colonoscopy procedure. Their study found pre-cancerous lesions (polyps) in 28.03% of men and 21.15% of women, corresponding to 25.27% of all patients who underwent colonoscopy, developing colorectal cancer in their lifetime if these polyps weren’t detected and removed promptly.

ACG and American cancer society have demonstrated that by screening patients with colonoscopy procedure the incidence of colorectal cancer is significantly reduced and thus preventing deaths. Colorectal cancer accounted for 8,81,984 globally and 38,367 reported deaths in India in 2022. Colorectal cancer may be asymptomatic in the early stages and might become advanced by the time symptoms develop, resulting in limited treatment options.