Ho Chi Minh City, a 39-year-old patient discovered that a 5cm colon polyp had progressed to cancer in the early stages, so he underwent radical surgery and was cured.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bach Duong (Da Lat City, Lam Dong) shared that she had been having frequent bloody stools and diarrhea for the past two years. At first, this symptom was not frequent, she thought it was a digestive disorder so she bought medicine to take. But the condition got worse and worse. Until she felt a burning sensation in her stomach, belching, and had to defecate 7-8 times a day, she went to Tam Anh General Hospital for examination in mid-April.
Doctor Nguyen Quoc Thai (Head of the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Center for Endoscopy and Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgery) performed a colonoscopy and computed tomography scan and discovered that the patient had a colon polyp of about 5 cm, occupying the entire intestinal lumen. During the endoscopy, the rough tumor blocked the intestinal lumen and was prone to bleeding, so the endoscope could not pass through. Pathological results of early stage malignant tumor (stage 0).
Colon polyps are small lesions that form on the surface of the innermost layer of the colon, called the mucosa. Usually, colon polyps are benign. However, if not intervened and treated promptly, they can cause many complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, and can lead to colon cancer, as in Ms. Duong's case.
Dr. Quoc Thai added that this case is rare because the polyp is large and is detected as malignant at a very early stage. The tumor has not shown any signs of spreading or metastasizing, however, the tumor completely blocks the intestine and cannot be removed through endoscopy, but requires laparoscopic surgery to completely remove the colon and rectum. Compared to open surgery, this method has advantages such as smaller scars and faster recovery.
CT scan shows a nearly 5cm tumor in the colon. Photo: Provided by the hospital
After nearly 2 hours of surgery, the patient recovered well, the surgical wound healed quickly, and his health was stable. Previous symptoms such as diarrhea, bloody diarrhea... completely disappeared.
The patient is still young, not old enough to have a gastrointestinal endoscopy (usually from 45 years old) to screen for cancer. Moreover, when having unusual symptoms, the patient did not go to the doctor immediately but waited for a long time, so surgery was required. The patient needs to have regular check-ups so that the doctor can monitor and assess whether the disease has recurred or not. After treatment, Ms. Duong said that she felt like a burden had been lifted, her spirit was restored, and she was no longer as worried as when she first held the diagnosis results in her hands.
Ms. Bach Duong returned for a check-up 20 days after surgery with stable health condition. Photo : Provided by the hospital
Doctor Quoc Thai recommends that everyone should prevent the disease early by having a healthy lifestyle, eating lots of fruits, green vegetables, drinking lots of water; exercising regularly every day; limiting red meat consumption; avoiding alcohol abuse, saying no to cigarettes. People from the age of 45 should be screened for gastrointestinal cancer. People with family members with cancer, the screening age can be earlier. People who are not yet old enough for screening but when experiencing symptoms of abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, bloody stools... should see a doctor early. Early detection of the disease helps with effective treatment, with a high chance of cure.
Quyen Phan
* Patient name has been changed.
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