Clipping Board » Disease & Prevention ─ Understanding diseases, prevention is better than cure.
Update Date: 2008/06/16 04:33 Reported by Zhu Liqun in Taipei
Can vegetarians also get colon cancer?! Jia An, 37 years old, had been a vegetarian for six years when she was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in August last year, which came as a bolt from the blue. Her doctor advised her to consume a balanced diet during her treatment, prompting her to abandon her strict vegetarianism and start eating both meat and vegetables to ensure balanced nutrition.
Jia An had been stationed in Shanghai, China, for a long time. Concerned about the cleanliness of local meat, she switched to a vegetarian diet, which she maintained for six years until her colon cancer diagnosis, during which she only occasionally ate fish.
Starting last year, Jia An experienced frequent constipation. Despite several days of difficulty in bowel movements and severe abdominal pain while sitting on the toilet, she couldn't pass stool. She visited a large hospital where the doctor diagnosed her with irritable bowel syndrome without further investigation.
After six months with no improvement in her constipation, Jia An grew increasingly concerned and requested a colonoscopy. "The colonoscope had only gone in 20 centimeters when the tumor blocking the intestine was seen," Jia An said.
She was immediately diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. Before she could even ask, "Why can vegetarians also get colon cancer?" Jia An underwent surgery, removing 30 centimeters of her sigmoid colon and rectum in one operation and another 30 centimeters of her small intestine in a second. She has since undergone eleven chemotherapy sessions.
During her treatment, Wang Zhengxu, the director of the Cancer Center at Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Jia An's attending physician, advised her that cancer patients are physically weak post-surgery and during chemotherapy and should consume a balanced diet, including both meat and vegetables. However, Jia An found the smell of meat nauseating and could only eat vegetables, taking some time to gradually recover.
Wang Zhengxu stated that the exact causes of colorectal cancer are related to two main factors: genetics and lifestyle, including a diet too rich in nutrients, low in fiber, and high in calories. Jia An had no family history or dietary issues, so the cause remains unknown.
Another patient, Lin Meihui, only 32 years old, also suffers from colorectal cancer. She maintained a normal diet, rarely consuming fried, grilled, or pickled carcinogenic foods, yet was diagnosed at an advanced stage upon her first check-up.
Lin Meihui went to Australia last year to work and travel. Mid-year, she noticed symptoms of blood in her urine, but Australian doctors only prescribed digestive medicine. Upon returning to Taiwan for a check-up, she was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer, with cancer cells already metastasized to her liver and lungs.
After surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy, her condition significantly improved. Initially given only six months to live, following her doctor's advice, she and Jia An participated side by side in a sports event specifically for cancer patients yesterday, both completing the course with high spirits.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……01% 20112008061600075,00. html
Vegetarian for Six Years, She Diagnosed with Terminal Colon Cancer at 37
Can vegetarians also get colon cancer?! Jia An, 37 years old, had been a vegetarian for six years when she was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in August last year, which came as a bolt from the blue. Her doctor advised her to consume a balanced diet during her treatment, prompting her to abandon her strict vegetarianism and start eating both meat and vegetables to ensure balanced nutrition.
Jia An had been stationed in Shanghai, China, for a long time. Concerned about the cleanliness of local meat, she switched to a vegetarian diet, which she maintained for six years until her colon cancer diagnosis, during which she only occasionally ate fish.
Starting last year, Jia An experienced frequent constipation. Despite several days of difficulty in bowel movements and severe abdominal pain while sitting on the toilet, she couldn't pass stool. She visited a large hospital where the doctor diagnosed her with irritable bowel syndrome without further investigation.
After six months with no improvement in her constipation, Jia An grew increasingly concerned and requested a colonoscopy. "The colonoscope had only gone in 20 centimeters when the tumor blocking the intestine was seen," Jia An said.
She was immediately diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. Before she could even ask, "Why can vegetarians also get colon cancer?" Jia An underwent surgery, removing 30 centimeters of her sigmoid colon and rectum in one operation and another 30 centimeters of her small intestine in a second. She has since undergone eleven chemotherapy sessions.
During her treatment, Wang Zhengxu, the director of the Cancer Center at Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Jia An's attending physician, advised her that cancer patients are physically weak post-surgery and during chemotherapy and should consume a balanced diet, including both meat and vegetables. However, Jia An found the smell of meat nauseating and could only eat vegetables, taking some time to gradually recover.
Wang Zhengxu stated that the exact causes of colorectal cancer are related to two main factors: genetics and lifestyle, including a diet too rich in nutrients, low in fiber, and high in calories. Jia An had no family history or dietary issues, so the cause remains unknown.
Another patient, Lin Meihui, only 32 years old, also suffers from colorectal cancer. She maintained a normal diet, rarely consuming fried, grilled, or pickled carcinogenic foods, yet was diagnosed at an advanced stage upon her first check-up.
Lin Meihui went to Australia last year to work and travel. Mid-year, she noticed symptoms of blood in her urine, but Australian doctors only prescribed digestive medicine. Upon returning to Taiwan for a check-up, she was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer, with cancer cells already metastasized to her liver and lungs.
After surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy, her condition significantly improved. Initially given only six months to live, following her doctor's advice, she and Jia An participated side by side in a sports event specifically for cancer patients yesterday, both completing the course with high spirits.
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ 2……01% 20112008061600075,00. html
