It usually starts with an ulcer that won't heal. Then comes the biopsy, and a word nobody wants to say out loud.
Colorectal cancer is a major global health problem and the third most common cancer in the world, and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) estimate is that the disease accounts for approximately 1.9 million new cases and over 900,000 deaths annually. Socioeconomic development strongly determines disease burden epidemiology, with traditionally higher rates of incidence in high‐income regions such as Australia, New Zealand, Western Europe and North America. However, rapid economic transitions, as well as changing dietary patterns and lifestyle changes, have resulted in increasing numbers of diagnoses in transitioning, middle-income and low-income countries.
Colon cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the colon, which is the main part of the large intestine. It usually begins in the inner lining of the colon and often develops from precancerous growths called polyps. Common symptoms include blood in the stool, persistent changes in bowel habits, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and iron-deficiency anaemia. Risk factors include increasing age, family history of colorectal cancer, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption and diets high in processed meat. Colon cancer is diagnosed through investigations such as colonoscopy, biopsy and imaging.
Ask anyone caring for a parent with pancreatic cancer what the hardest part is, and they rarely mention scans first. They talk about the exhaustion, the meals left half eaten, the nights nobody sleeps.
Food can feel complicated after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Appetite drops, digestion changes, and meals that once felt simple suddenly bring bloating or discomfort.