Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in Belgium. It is even in second place for women and third place for men, with a total of nearly 8,000 new cases each year. It causes nearly 3,000 deaths a year in our country. As part of the Mars Bleu campaign, many colorectal cancer screening awareness days are organized in hospitals across the country.
There is indeed a simple and free screening that can save lives. Raising awareness about screening is therefore crucial to encourage everyone to get tested. “Colorectal cancer screening is recommended for everyone between the ages of 50 and 74, as well as for those at high risk. In practice, it consists of taking a stool sample at home using a screening kit and sending it for analysis by post.explains Dr. Frédéric Flamme, Head of the gastroenterology department at CHU Ambroise Paré.
“It is a silent disease, so it must be tracked down in order to take care of it in time”
Detected early, colorectal cancer is cured in 9 out of 10 cases. From the age of 50, screening must be done every two years. Problem, barely one person over 50 out of 10 adheres to colorectal cancer screening in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation compared to 5 out of 10 in Flanders.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Belgium.
“General practitioners have a big role to play in terms of prevention and awareness of screeningexplains Dirk Devroey, general practitioner and professor at the VUB. With earlier detection and more prevention, we could avoid 3,000 deaths a year, that’s huge. We must increase adherence to screening, it is crucial. In Flanders, people are given a test to do every two years, this practice must be generalized to all of Belgium”.
While it is true that treatments have evolved, colorectal cancer is still a preventable cancer, says the Cancer Foundation. “In primary prevention, by adopting a healthy lifestyle through a healthy diet limiting cold cuts and red meat, practicing regular physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight”, she explains.
More than one in three people have to give up certain treatments for financial reasons
In terms of screening, the Foundation recalls that by deploying additional efforts to increase participation in screenings organized by the 3 regions of the country, this would make it possible to set up an early diagnosis, thus leading to direct intervention by colonoscopy and resection of polyps. , with high chances of recovery. One in two Belgians is also diagnosed with colon cancer at an advanced stage, according to figures from the Cancer Registry. The survival rate drops to 15% for these late diagnoses, whereas at an early stage, the chances of recovery are greater than 90%.
“Colorectal cancer is a silent disease, so it must be tracked down in order to take care of it in time, emphasizes Dr. Devroey. Awareness and prevention are essential. For each euro invested, it is recovered 100 times thereafter. When a polyp is detected, the patient can be taken care of fairly quickly and be integrated into a very specific care pathway. This saves precious time, which is why we should surely offer a test and screening before the age of 50 for people at risk, especially people whose members of the same family have been affected in the past. ”.