Colorectal cancer on the rise
- Source: Global Times
- [08:24 April 15 2011]
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By Wei Na
The average life expectancy of Beijing residents is now that of developed countries at 80.8 years old, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau on Wednesday. However, that figure was offset by the bureau's revelation Thursday that colorectal cancer in Beijing now has the fastest rising rate of incidence for cancers.
According to bureau vice director Mao Yu, the incidence rate of colorectal cancer has risen consistently by 4.2 percent for the past few years, and has become the second most fatal cancer after lung cancer.
"It has much to do with our improved standard of living and Western lifestyle," Mao said. "In developed areas like Beijing, the incidence rate has reached 30 to 40 sufferers out of every 100,000 people."
Qin Yin, director of the Beijing Anti-Cancer Association, said that colorectal cancer used to not account for many cancer cases in China, but that incidence rates are now outpacing those of the West.
"The cause of the cancer has multiple factors, like diet, genetics and diagnosis of colitis," Qin said. "The only thing we can adjust is dietary habits. People who eat a 'Western diet' rich in animal protein, high in fat and low in fiber are very susceptible, because the fat and the substances into which it breaks down are carcinogenic."
Gu also added that white-collar people with unbalanced diets as well as a lack of exercise are also high risk, because long-term exposure between carcinogens and colonic mucosa can lead to cancer.
While incidence rates have risen rapidly, early diagnosis figures in Beijing remain at only 5 to 10 percent, and 80 percent of patients missed the best period of diagnosis for most effective treatment, Qin said.
"The high-incidence age in Beijing is about 50 years old, 10 years younger than in the West," Gu said. "We suggest that highly susceptible people get colonoscopies after they turn 40 years old."
