Pattaya City Expats Club
member Gavin Waddell, also international marketing executive with Phyathai
Hospital Sriracha, introduces the speaker, Dr. Jitlada Imharit, M.D.
Preventing colorectal cancer was the subject at the
Pattaya City Expats Club’s July 24 meeting at the Amari’s Tavern by the Sea
Restaurant. After the usual opening announcements, Master of Ceremonies
Richard Silverberg called on fellow member Gavin Waddell, international
marketing executive with Phyathai Hospital Sriracha, to introduce the
speaker. After announcing that there was nurse from the hospital giving free
blood pressure readings in the back alcove, Gavin introduced Dr. Jitlada
Imharit, M.D., a specialist in colorectal cancer and other diseases of the
stomach and liver.
Dr. Jitlada said that she would be talking about
colorectal carcinoma which is a cancer of the colon or rectum. Her primary
message was colorectal cancer can be prevented or detected in its early
stages. Around the world, it is the third leading cause of cancer in men and
the fourth leading cause in women. The frequency varies among populations.
It is more common in the Western world and is rare in Asia and Africa. In
countries where the people have adopted western diets, the incidence of
colorectal cancer is increasing.
Dr. Jitlada spoke about
colorectal carcinoma which is a cancer of the colon or rectum. Her primary
message was colorectal cancer can be prevented or detected in its early
stages. If everybody aged 50 or older had regular screening tests, as many
as 60% of deaths from colon cancer could be prevented.
She recommended a low fat and high fiber diet to reduce
the risk of colon cancer as well as quitting smoking and reducing alcohol
intake. But most importantly, if you are 50 years of age, get screened for
colorectal cancer. But, if you have a family history of colorectal cancer or
high risk factors, you should get screened earlier.
If everybody aged 50 or older had regular screening
tests, as many as 60% of deaths from colon cancer could be prevented.
Screening saves lives because it can find precancerous polyps - abnormal
growths in the colon or rectum - so that they can be removed before turning
into cancer.
Screening also helps find colorectal cancer at an early
stage, when treatment often leads to a cure. About nine out of every 10
people whose colorectal cancer is found early and treated are still alive
five years later.
Following the presentation
and regular items, Richard Silverberg called on Roy Albiston to conduct the
always informative and sometime humorous Open Forum.
Polyps are slow growing, so if you have a colonoscopy and
no polyps were found, you can wait about 10 years before having another one.
However, if polyps are found and removed, you should have another
colonoscopy in another 3 to 5 years.
Dr. Jitlada also described some other screening methods,
but explained why a colonoscopy was the most effective in detecting polyps.
But, most importantly, during the procedure polyps can be removed before
they can become cancerous.
She also described symptoms that can indicate you have
colorectal cancer; but by the time symptoms appear, the cancer may have
already existed for a long time. These symptoms can be varied and by
themselves may not be the result of colorectal cancer. You should be alert
for the following symptoms: change in bowel habits, narrow stools, diarrhea
or constipation, red or dark blood in the stool, weight loss, and abdominal
pain. There are other causes for these type symptoms, but if you have them,
you should seek a medical diagnosis to rule out colorectal cancer.
Dr Jitlada and Gavin listen
intently to a member’s question re the difference between colonoscopy and
sigmoidoscopy.
If cancer is found and it has not spread, the most common
treatment is a resection of the bowels. Patients that have this surgery can
experience long-term survival in excess of 80%. However, in patients with
advanced colon cancer, where the tumor has penetrated beyond the bowel wall
and there is evidence of metastasis (spreading) to distant organs, the
five-year survival rate is less than 10%. In conclusion, she pointed out
that screening and proper diet are the best preventative measures.
After Dr. Jitlada answered several questions from the
audience, Richard Silverberg brought everyone up to date on upcoming events
and called on Roy Albiston to conduct the always informative and sometime
humorous Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about expat
living in Thailand, recommendations for restaurants and movies are made, and
perhaps a joke or two are told.
