Bowel cancer becomes more common in younger groups of people

Colorectal or bowel cancer affects about 40,000 people a year in Brazil. According to the National Cancer Institute (Inca) it is the third most common type of cancer in the country and affects men and women equally.

A recent survey pointed out that the disease has become more common in young people. In the past, the problem mainly affected the elderly.

Colorectal cancer includes tumors that start in the large intestine (colon), rectum (end of intestine) and anus. It is treatable and, when detected early, is usually curable.

The development of bowel cancer is strongly impacted by diet. Diets low in fiber and excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods (see below) contribute to the onset of the disease.

According to the National Cancer Institute (Inca), the main factors related to a higher risk of developing bowel cancer are: age equal to or above 50 years, excess body weight and unhealthy diet.

According to Professor Paulo Hoff, head of the Oncology discipline at the Department of Radiology and Oncology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (USP) and director of the Research Center at the Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo (Icesp), the practice Exercise and a good diet are essential for prevention.

The reasons for the change in the profile of those affected by the disease are the subject of studies. “This is a difficult question to answer, we have a constant increase in the incidence of cancer in general terms. Currently, we have 700,000 new cases of cancer in the country annually, 20 years ago we had half that number. In general, we observed a global increase in this incidence”, explains the expert in a statement.

It is also noted that the different Brazilian regions do not have the same socioeconomic scenario, which affects the frequency of cancer and other diseases. “Thinking about regionalization is essential. In the North and Northeast regions, for example, this type of cancer is not as frequent as in other parts of the country. When you think about a prevention project, you need to think about regionalization”, says Hoff.

Learn how to identify ultra-processed foods