Introduction
Colorectal cancer is a very common disease in Europe. With 60,000 new cases per year, colorectal cancer is increasingly present in the German population. It is the second most common type of cancer in women and the third most common type in men.
Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cause of death in Germany due to one cause of cancer. It is therefore important to detect colorectal cancer as early as possible or to prevent its development. More often, colorectal cancer occurs from the age of 50 onwards, which is why preventive examinations are particularly important at this age.
Preventive colonoscopy is the most important part of colorectal cancer prevention. According to current guidelines, this is recommended from the age of 50 onwards for healthy individuals without an increased risk of colorectal cancer. However, health insurance companies currently only cover colonoscopy from the age of 55.
This should be repeated every 10 years if the findings are unremarkable. For high-risk patients, a preventive colonoscopy is recommended from the age of 40, but not later than the age of 45. Other diagnostic measures are available for early detection, but their importance is not as high as that of colonoscopy.
These include the haemocult test, which is intended to detect even tiny bleedings in the stool. These are called occult bleedings, as they are not visible in the stool. Such bleedings can be a sign of cancer of the intestine.
In general, one should become aware of any blood in the stool and seek medical attention immediately. Especially at an advanced age they are often a sign of intestinal cancer. In addition, other gastrointestinal complaints such as newly occurring changes in stool habits can also be symptoms that speak for colorectal cancer.
These include, for example, diarrhea and constipation, which can occur both individually and in combination. Since colorectal cancer often develops from colon polyps (= proliferations of the intestinal mucosa) or can develop from them, it is very important to take advantage of the preventive examinations. Such polyps usually remain undetected for years, as they do not always lead to symptoms, and can then develop into a malignant disease in the course of time. During a colonoscopy, however, such polyps are also removed, so that this development can be prevented.