Colonoscopy is of fundamental importance in the prevention of colon cancer, but Slovaks neglect it. This was pointed out by the civil association No Cancer on the occasion of March – the month of colorectal cancer awareness. Experts pointed out that the disease often occurs in the early stages develops without any warning signs and the earlier it is caught, the more gentle the treatment can be and the higher the chance of a complete recovery.
“In the early stages, a smaller procedure with faster healing is often enough, thanks to which patients return to their normal life much sooner and often without the need for remedial treatment. On the contrary, advanced findings require more complex therapy, which is a greater burden on the body and recovery takes longer. Early diagnosis therefore literally saves not only life, but fundamentally also protects its quality after surgery,” said the head of the oncology clinic of the FD Roosevelt Faculty Hospital and Polyclinic (FNsP) in Banská Bystrica, Matej Hrnčár.
Symptoms of colon and rectal cancer include: blood in the stool, long-term bloating, change in the rhythm of defecation, abdominal pain or alternating diarrhea and constipation, unintentional weight loss, but also inexplicable fatigue. However, most of these symptoms often appear only in more advanced stages of the disease.
Colonoscopy can detect not only the tumor, but also polyps, which in most cases can be removed during the examination, thereby preventing the cancer itself. “If we catch colon cancer in time or completely prevent it by removing polyps, the patient avoids demanding oncological treatment and the prognosis is excellent,” explained Tibor Hlavatý, director of the Bezručova Polyclinic and president of the Slovak Gastroenterology Society.
Štefan Pörsök, head of the department of malignancies of the digestive tract at the National Oncology Institute, pointed out that the incidence of colorectal cancer has an increasing tendency even among younger generations. “The further we go, the more often we come across cases of 30- or 40-year-old patients. Preventive examinations, a healthy lifestyle and early diagnosis can save lives, but, unfortunately, many become convinced of this only when the disease is in an advanced stage.” he stated.
Martin Sirotňák from the Transplantation Surgery Clinic of the Slovak Health University at FD Roosevelt’s FNsP in Banská Bystrica noted that today, in many cases, cancer patients can live full lives even in more advanced stages. In particular, he talks about the significant progress in connection with the minimally invasive approach. “Minimization of traumatic damage to the surrounding organs, a detailed picture of important structures and the possibility of dealing with complex overgrowing tumors are the reasons why only a few colorectal resections are performed using the classic approach today,” he clarified.
In the general risk population, screening is recommended mainly through a test for occult bleeding in the stool from around the age of 50, while a positive result is followed by a colonoscopic examination. An alternative is a preventive screening colonoscopy, which is repeated approximately once every ten years if the result is negative. In Slovakia, screening is carried out in the form of invitations from health insurance companies for people aged 50 to 75. In the case of a positive test, patients are sent for colonoscopy to certified workplaces.
