Colorectal cancer on an upswing in South India

Colorectal cancer on an upswing in South India

Over the last couple of decades Indian dietary patterns have mimicked the west. Similarly we are witnessing a trend of western diseases which arenow occurring more commonly in Indians. Our hectic lifestyle has led us to consume more fast food, and increasing consumerism has also enabled us to do so leading us to develop newer lifestyle diseases.

 

“The incidence of colorectal malignancies in South India has been on an upswing over the past two decades. It is the most common malignancy which affects the GIT.In 1990 it was 5.8 per 1, 00,000 population and in 2012 it was 4.4 whereas in 2017 it was estimated to be 7.9 per 1, 00,000.Colorectal malignancies may either be hereditary or sporadic. They can also occur in association with inflammatory bowel disease which too is showing an increased incidence in India over the past decade”, says Dr Aditya Chowdhary, Consultant - GI Oncology & Colorectal Surgery, Gleneagles Global Hospital.

 

“Any change in our bowel habit being either increasing constipation or alternating diarrhea and constipation needs to be assessed. When there is also bleeding associated with bowel movements it then raises a red flag. When any of the symptoms do occur especially over the age of 50 they require a detailed evaluation by a GI surgeon”, added Dr Chowdhary.

 

The cornerstone of evaluation is a thorough physical examination, stool examination along with a colonoscopy. Depending upon the findings further evaluation may need to be performed.The treatment consists of a detailed work up and is usually followed by surgery and chemo radiotherapy if malignancy is diagnosed.

 

With all the recent advances in treatment the outcome is especially good with a majority of patients having a 5 Year disease-free survival of more than 90% especially when diagnosed early. With the advent of new modalities in treatment of Colorectal Cancer patients who have advanced disease too have a reasonably good outcome.

 

Given that the outcomes of the disease are extremely good when detected and treated at an early stage, any change in bowel habits should be evaluated.

 

About Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Lakdi-Ka-Pul, Hyderabad:

 

Gleneagles Global Hospitals, located at Lakdi-Ka-Pul, was the first Gleneagles Global Hospitals facility opened in Hyderabad. The facility is known as one of the best tertiary care multi-super specialty hospitals in India. With world-renowned doctors and the best of medical facilities, the hospital has been at the forefront of performing rare and complex surgeries including the first Heart Transplant in the region, Liver and Kidney Transplants amongst others. Expert care and advanced surgical procedures are offered at the facility for a wide range of specialties such as Hepatology, Nephrology, Bariatrics, Gastroenterology, Multi-Organ Transplants and others.

 

Gleneagles Global Hospitals has multi-super specialty hospitals in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai. The brand is the most preferred hospital group for multi-organ transplants in the Asia region. The parent entity of Gleneagles Global Hospitals is IHH Healthcare, a leading premium integrated healthcare provider with a network of 84 hospitals and more than 16,000 licensed beds. It is one of the largest healthcare groups in the world by market capitalization and is listed in the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia and Main Board of SGX-ST. IHH is a leading player in the home markets of Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and India, and in their key growth markets of China and Hong Kong.