Per a report cited by Vivahealth Magazine, The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is reported to have Ghana saw 3,000 to 4,000 instances of colorectal cancer in 2022.
About 70% of the cases were already in their advanced phases before being reported, according to Dr. Leslie Issa Adam-Zakaria, a Specialist-Surgeon with the Colorectal Unit, KBTH.
A form of cancer that usually affects older people, although it can occur at any age, colorectal cancer, also known as colon or rectum cancer, starts in the large intestine (colon).
The illness, which more commonly affects males than women, is the third most common cancer in the world and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. It typically starts as tiny, benign (noncancerous) clusters of cells called polyps on the inside of the colon.
Constipation, rectal bleeding, blood in the stool, ongoing abdominal pain, weakness or exhaustion, and unexplained weight loss are all signs of colorectal cancer.
According to information from the World Health Organization (WHO), there were nearly two million new cases of colorectal cancer globally in 2022.
According to Dr. Adam-Zakaria, colorectal cancer has no known cause, but risk factors for developing the disease include advanced age, a family history of the disease, eating a diet rich in fat and fiber, being sedentary, smoking, and consuming alcohol.
He claimed that given the number of people the disease affects annually in the nation, it was crucial that Ghanaians were conscious of it and took the appropriate precautions to prevent it.
In the early stages of the disease, many individuals with colon cancer have no symptoms. Therefore, if they are over 45 and have an average chance of colon cancer, those individuals should think about screening.
Dr. Adam-Zakaria emphasized that those at higher risk, such as those with a family history of colorectal cancer, should think about screening earlier.
He urged those who were experiencing colorectal cancer symptoms to go to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and added that the illness could be treated if caught early.
