;Resize=(1200,627)&impolicy=perceptual&quality=mediumHigh&hash=cf58bc173b367ced093b633ad6d71d13ca28028ace9c3f9cd2b9f9730b6b0065 "Colon cancer affects 60,000 Germans every year – the actress is giving away a precautionary measure")
A colonoscopy can save lives. If the benign precursors, the so-called intestinal polyps, are recognized in good time, they can be removed immediately. But even if a tumor has already developed in the intestine, the chances of recovery improve significantly if it is detected early. This is why the colonoscopy, the so-called colonoscopy, is the most important tool for screening for colon cancer.
Elena Uhlig has been suffering from intestinal problems for years
The well-known actress Elena Uhlig knows about problems with the intestines from her own painful experience. For years, the actress who became known as the chaotic chief inspector Nina Metz in the Sat1 crime series “Mit Herz und Handschellen” suffered from symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, exhaustion, which got worse and worse. A visit to the doctor and a colonoscopy brought clarity. In addition to intolerances, Uhlig suffers from ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammation of the rectum. The intestinal mucous membranes are inflamed and accompanied by bloody diarrhea.
Win a free appointment for a colonoscopy in Munich
In the meantime, the actress is doing much better thanks to a change in diet. “I feel much fitter again, don’t need as much sleep and don’t look like I’m 10 months pregnant with twins,” she says on her Instagram channel.
Since many people suffer from intestinal problems, she decided to make her illness public and to sensitize people to the often shameful topic of intestinal health with the campaign “Uhlig’s intestinal world – together through thick and thin” on her Instagram channel until the end of July.
Part of this campaign is a raffle for a colonoscopy, which was carried out in cooperation with the Felix Burda Foundation by the physician Berndt Birkner in Munich, who specializes in gastrointestinal diseases
on Friday, July 21, 2023 at 9:45 a.m
takes place. A preliminary consultation for clarification takes place the day before the colonoscopy.
Conditions of participation for the colonoscopy
Volunteers can contact Elena Uhlig via Instagram and comment under their post. Conditions of participation: The person should be at least 40 years old and healthy. The costs are fully covered. Elena Uhlig is there and accompanies the action on Instagram – but not the colonoscopy itself. “It’s about educating and showing other people that it doesn’t hurt, it’s harmless,” says Uhlig. The closing date for entries is July 13th, the campaign ends at 6 p.m.
The advantage of the call: A colonoscopy is otherwise only paid for men over 50 years of age if there is no increased risk. Women are only entitled to a colonoscopy from the age of 55. Usually there are costs between 300 and 450 euros.
However: If there is an increased risk due to a family history of colon cancer or a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, those affected should have a colonoscopy much earlier, and if there is a family history of colon cancer, they should have a colonoscopy at the latest by the age of 40 to 45.
This is how a colonoscopy works
A colonoscopy usually takes 20 to 30 minutes. The doctor uses a so-called colonoscope to examine the entire large intestine. This is a thin tube with a light source and camera that is inserted into the anus and advanced to the small intestine.
Before the examination takes place, the bowel must be completely emptied. Patients should therefore fast for a few hours before they receive a laxative drinking solution in the practice.
If you want, you can usually get a short anesthetic or a sedative. Although the colonoscopy does not hurt, it can still be uncomfortable. In the hands of an experienced doctor, the colonoscopy is a very safe and gentle examination method.
Colon cancer warning sign
Symptoms of colorectal cancer often only appear when the disease is already well advanced. However, it is advisable to consult a doctor for all long-lasting problems in the digestive tract. The specialist in examinations of the digestive tract is the gastroenterologist. He will decide with you which examinations should be carried out to clarify your symptoms.
Symptoms that make a colonoscopy necessary are, for example:
visible blood in the stool noticeable changes in bowel habits such as alternating diarrhea and constipation persistent pain in the abdominal area
Family history of colorectal cancer
In about 30 percent of colon cancer cases, colon carcinomas and colon polyps have already occurred in other family members. This means for all direct relatives of those affected – that is parents, siblings and children – that they have an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Just having a direct relative with colon cancer increases your risk of developing the disease by two to three times. If you have a family burden, you should have a colonoscopy performed at an early stage. A stool test is then definitely not recommended because it does not detect all polyps and carcinomas that are present.
Why a stool test is not enough to diagnose colorectal cancer
The test for hidden blood in the stool does not guarantee that a carcinoma or polyps may not have formed in your intestines. The test will only show traces of blood if existing tumors and polyps are bleeding, which they do not always do. For this reason, it is also recommended to repeat the test every year. If a test was positive, the cause must be clarified by a colonoscopy. This is the most effective preventive method, as it can be used to identify the benign precursors of colon cancer (polyps). Removing the precursors prevents the polyps from later degenerating into cancer.
Advantage of the colonoscopy: Polyps are removed immediately
The polyps detected during the colonoscopy are removed during the examination. The intestine is insensitive to pain, so the procedure does not hurt. A fine wire loop is advanced through the working channel of the endoscope, placed around the polyp and tightened. A high-frequency current is passed through the wire loop for a brief moment.
The heat causes the polyp to be cut off and the blood vessels to be closed. The cut polyp is then pulled out of the intestine along with the endoscope. The polyp is then sent to the laboratory for histological examination. There it is analyzed whether cancer cells were already present and whether the polyp could be completely removed.
What happens if you suspect cancer
If cancer is suspected or confirmed in the laboratory, there are a number of other examination methods to determine the exact spread of the disease. Several doctors are often involved in this, for example
Gastroenterologists (gastrointestinal specialist), radiologists (physician specializing in imaging), and oncologists (cancer specialist).
In most cases of colorectal cancer, the operation of the colorectal tumor is an important step in the treatment. The subsequent, histological examination of the tumor tissue completes the diagnosis with regard to the stage of the disease and the growth behavior of the tumour. This information flows into the further planning of cancer therapy.
Chemotherapy is also part of the treatment for many patients. Patients with rectal cancer often also receive radiation. If metastases have already developed, it is possible to use so-called targeted drugs in addition to chemotherapeutic agents. Immunotherapy is currently also being intensively researched for colorectal cancer.
Note: The Felix Burda Foundation, like FOCUS online, belongs to Hubert Burda Media.