Cáncer colorrectal: prevención y tratamiento

Resumen

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world, it is the third most prevalent tumor and the fourth cause of death. CRC can be classified as sporadic (90-95 %) or hereditary and it has a mortality rate of 19.6 per 100,000 inhabitants and an incidence rate of 46.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Several risk and protective factors have been described according CRC, some independent of the patients' life-style, especially genetic factors, and others dependent on it, such as diet, obesity, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol. CRC screening tests are one of the causes involved in the reduction of mortality and the incidence of CRC, because they involve CRC detection in non-advanced stages that allow the disease to be treated in the early stages, providing better predictions. After the diagnosis of CRC, it is necessary to know the staging of the tumor in order to be able to use the best possible chemotherapy regimen. Adjuvant chemotherapy is used after curative surgery, mainly in patients with CRC in stage II with high risk and stage III (locally advanced tumors). Patients with stage IV tumors (metastasic tumor) benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which is previously administered to the surgical intervention in order to reduce the tumor. These treatment regimens are based on combinations of chemotherapy and molecular targeted therapies