美国国家公共电台 NPR--Colorectal cancer is on track to be the deadliest cancer among people under 50

Colorectal cancer is on track to be the deadliest cancer among people under 50

Transcript¹

Cases of colorectal cancer are on the rise among younger people. Doctors believe diet may play a role.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Colorectal cancer is on the rise among people under 50. It's on track to be the deadliest cancer in this age group. Doctors are even seeing cases in people in their 20s and 30s. NPR's Allison Aubrey has been talking to people who've been diagnosed with the disease, and they've been telling her what they wish they had known before their diagnosis². She joins us now. Good morning, Allison.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE³: Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: So we tend to think of colorectal cancer as a disease that strikes older people. What are you hearing from these younger adults who have it?

AUBREY: Well, I talked to several people who told me something striking, Leila - that they did not have any symptoms at all before their diagnosis. Shawna Brown - she lives in Stockton, Calif. - was in her late 40s. Her health care provider had mailed her a screening test. You're supposed to take a stool sample, send it back in. But at the time, she just did not think that she was at risk. She felt great. She felt healthy.

SHAWNA BROWN: I didn't have any signs or symptoms, and I wasn't 50 at the time. So I said that doesn't apply to me. So I ignored the test.

AUBREY: This was about the time that the recommended age for screening was lowered from 50 down to 45. And like many people, she was just not aware of this.

FADEL: So how did she find out she had cancer?

AUBREY: Well, during a routine visit, her nurse practitioner⁴ really nudged her to do the screening test called a FIT test. She said, look; more younger people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. So Shawna Brown did the stool sample. She sent it in, and it came back positive. Then, during a colonoscopy, the doctor found a polyp and evidence of cancer. She was pretty shocked.

BROWN: The moment that I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer scared me out of my mind. But looking back, the purpose of this testing is to catch it early, and I caught it early. Thank God. It saved my life.

AUBREY: She had a surgery to remove a small portion of her colon⁵. That was about two years ago. And she's now cancer free.

FADEL: OK, so from her story, it's clear screening is important. Do scientists know what's behind this rise in cases?

AUBREY: There's a lot of theories about what's behind the rise - everything from a lack of vitamin D to high consumption of processed meat. About 20,000 people in the U.S. under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and nearly 3,800 will die. These are estimates from the American Cancer Society. I spoke⁶ to T.R. Levin. He's a gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente. He says there's a lot of research underway to try to figure out what may be fueling the rise.

T R LEVIN: Some of the drivers are - there's definitely - obesity⁷ is more prevalent now than it has ever been. Antibiotics⁸ are being used much more frequently and have been - you know, it's kind of a part of childhood. That has the effect of changing the - what's called the microbiome. Sugar-sweetened beverages⁹ are much more commonly being used, and there's been at least some early signal that they play a role.

FADEL: OK, so what advice do doctors have about diet?

AUBREY: Well, there's some evidence to show that diet patterns are very important. Studies suggest people who eat a lot of highly processed foods, sugary foods - so cookies, crackers¹⁰, chips - that can spike¹¹ insulin. And this pattern of diet is linked to higher rates of cancer and recurrence¹². Many Americans say they want to eat better, but in our day-to-day lives, it's just so easy to grab and go and fall into unhealthy patterns. So you have probably heard these recommendations before - to eat plenty of fresh food, produce, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and proteins. And the easiest things to cut back on are sugary drinks and snacks.

FADEL: NPR's Allison Aubrey. Thanks, Allison.

AUBREY: Thank you, Leila.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 practitioner   

n.实践者，从事者；(医生或律师等)开业者

参考例句：

• He is an unqualified practitioner of law.他是个无资格的律师。
• She was a medical practitioner before she entered politics.从政前她是个开业医生。

5 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

8 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

9 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

10 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

12 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。