Ranking third in Thailand's list of killer cancers after lung and breast cancer, colon cancer was mostly found among those aged over 50 and in an average of 12.3 men and 11.6 women per 100,000 people.

Narin said the cancer had a 50-per-cent death rate and that 30 per cent of patients were diagnosed after the cancer had spread to remote bodily locations. Only 8 per cent of those diagnosed survived for more than five years.

However, a new and more specific treatment called "targeted therapy" had been introduced at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's recent annual meeting, Narin said.

The therapy used antibody medicines to block the development of cancer cells and another antibody drug to stop the production of blood vessels in cancerous tissue and thus stop tumour growth.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved both drugs - which have a slight side effect in the form of rashes and pimples - for use in Thailand, he said.

The drugs are suitable for last-phase colon cancer patients who cannot undergo surgery or other treatments along with the main treatment of chemotherapy, he said. The new treatment's efficiency lengthened the average survival period from 16 months to 27 months.

Narin urged people to stop smoking and drinking, to avoid fast food, to eat 400 grams of fruit and fibre-loaded vegetables a day and to exercise regularly.

He warned that "detoxing" with colon-cleansing procedures would force waste to clog in the upper intestine.

Research had found that taking one aspirin a day four times a week could prevent tumours developing into cancer, he said. But those allergic to aspirin should avoid this method.

Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul

The Nation