{"id":496,"date":"2022-02-08T09:49:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T09:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/?p=496"},"modified":"2025-02-21T16:54:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T08:54:38","slug":"hkmed_20220208b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/hkmed_20220208b\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep the Gut Out of Mischief | Dr. Fong Ka Leuk"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"496\" class=\"elementor elementor-496\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ddb32a5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ddb32a5\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-80b12e7\" data-id=\"80b12e7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c8a852 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3c8a852\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 20-09-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"636\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-498\" alt=\"Dr. Fong Ka Leuk\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_1.jpg 636w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_1-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 636px) 100vw, 636px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-219adc5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"219adc5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/download-32-1024x308.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1568\" alt=\"Dr. Fong Ka Leuk\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/download-32-1024x308.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/download-32-300x90.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/download-32-768x231.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/download-32-18x5.jpg 18w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/download-32.jpg 1112w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6290d0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d6290d0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 20-09-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Advancement in Diagnosis for Colorectal Cancer<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e80776f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e80776f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.16.0 - 20-09-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer, accounting for 16.6% of all new cancer cases in 2018, in Hong Kong. The disease is also the second leading cause of local cancer deaths. Essentially, an uprising trend in incidence rate of CRC has been observed since 1983<sup>1<\/sup>. To tackle with the increasing disease burden of CRC, preventive measures such as having a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet are promoted. In line with this, regular check-up for CRC are recommended for high-risk populations. In the current interview, Dr. Fong Ka Leuk, Specialist in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, shared his expertise in diagnosing CRC and his opinions on recent advancement in diagnostic tests for the disease.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-440a245 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"440a245\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Where Are We in the Prevention of CRC?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b9c5970 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b9c5970\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Ageing and male gender are common risk factors for CRC. In addition, a positive family history, a history of familial adenomatous polyposis, occurrence of Lynch syndrome, development of colonic polyp, and ulcerative colitis are also well known risk factors for CRC<sup>2<\/sup>. Besides the non-modifiable factors, Dr. Fong outlined that modifiable factors including obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol intake and consumption of red or processed meats would contribute to an increased risk for CRC as well.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>In order to prevent CRC, healthy lifestyle and balanced diet aim to control the modifiable risk factors are advocated, particularly in high-risk populations. Unfortunately, an increasing trend in local incidence of CRC has been observed since 1983 (<strong>Figure 1<\/strong>). Dr. Fong addressed that it would be difficult for urban people to maintain the healthy lifestyle as recommended. \u201cWe all know the benefits of physical exercises. However, it may be difficult to squeeze time for doing exercises in the tight living schedule. On the other hand, while diets with adequate dietary fibres and less red meats are beneficial, the popularity of western food limits our choice for healthy diet,\u201d he mentioned. In addition to environment factors, Anderson et al (2015) reported that the awareness on the correlation between lifestyle factors and risk of CRC remained low, with about 60% of people in the United Kingdom did not know the links between cancer and body weight (59%) and processed meat (62%)<sup>3<\/sup>. Thus, further efforts on enhancing awareness on the association between healthy lifestyle and CRC are urgently needed.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>To cope with this issue, Dr. Fong advised that frontline physicians to allocate more time on guidance on lifestyle modification during consultation. Notably, he suggested that the information delivered to patients has to be precise and easily understood. Also, schematic illustrations would be more effective than heavy loads of numeric medical data. In particular, Dr. Fong highlighted the use of mobile Apps. \u201cThere are many Apps equipped in mobile devices, such as smart watch, allow us to monitor the status of one\u2019s physical activity and physiological conditions. This would help reminding people on their living habits,\u201d he suggested.<\/p><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3832f9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3832f9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1326\" height=\"828\" src=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-500\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_3.jpg 1326w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_3-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_3-1024x639.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_3-768x480.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1326px) 100vw, 1326px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd4a521 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fd4a521\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Figure 1.<\/strong><br \/>Age-standardised incidence rate of CRC in Hong Kong, 1983-2018\u00a0<sup>1<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4982ae6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4982ae6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Obstacles to CRC Screening among People at Risk<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bb3fbb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7bb3fbb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Apart from public education for enhancing awareness on CRC and promoting healthy lifestyle, early detection of CRC among high-risk populations is essential for reducing morbidity and mortality of the disease. The Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme (CRCSP) has been fully implemented in 2020 to subsidise asymptomatic Hong Kong residents aged between 50 and 75 to undergo screening tests every two years in the private sector for prevention of CRC. Under the programme, participants are subsidised to receive a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) screening. If the FIT result is positive, the participant will be referred to receive a colonoscopy examination subsidised by the Government. If the FIT result is negative, the participant is advised to repeat the screening two years later<sup>4<\/sup>.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Meta-analyses demonstrated that FIT screening for CRC would decrease the mortality rate by 59%. Nonetheless, low participation in screening programme would limit its effectiveness. A recent report by Tsang et al (2020) addressed that the participation rate for CRC screening was only 8.3% in Hong Kong in 2017-18 for people born in 1946-1955<sup>5<\/sup>.The report suggested that a lack of medical knowledge and awareness in general population are the major barriers to cancer screening<sup>5<\/sup>, whereas Dr. Fong added that psychological factors, including embarrassment and fear of potential harm, as well as time constraint would hinder participation in CRC screening.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Dr. Fong noted that it is crucial to promote the knowledge of CRC and the importance of CRC screening to the public. \u201cHealth seminars in the community and sharing sessions by peer educators who had undergone CRC screening would help alleviating the concerns towards the screening programme,\u201d he suggested. Besides, Dr. Fong added that it is important to educate people with increased risk for CRC on the early signs and symptoms of CRC, including a persistent change in bowel habits, persistent abdominal discomfort and blood in stool, in order to facilitate early diagnosis.<\/p><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b7db44 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5b7db44\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">CRC Diagnosis in Practice<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-53c1028 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"53c1028\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Regarding the planning for CRC diagnostic test, Dr. Fong emphasised that it is important to know the individual\u2019s family history on CRC or advanced polyps, especially those diagnosed in young ages, since this factor would affect the timing of the first CRC screening. For instance, if an individual has a first-degree relative suffering from CRC diagnosed at the age younger than 60, current recommendations suggest to start CRC screening by colonoscopy in the individual at the age of 40 or 10 years before the age at diagnosis of the youngest affected relative<sup>6<\/sup>.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>In reviewing the test options for CRC screening, Dr. Fong outlined that the tests can be classified as either 1-step or 2-steps approach. \u201cIn general, all tests are classified as 2-steps approach, whereas only colonoscopy is a 1-step approach,\u201d he described. For the 2-steps approach, a positive result in the initial part of test would indicate a subsequent colonoscopy follow-up. Faecal occult blood test (FOBT), FIT and computed tomography (CT) colonography are examples of CRC screening tests involved in 2-steps approach. Whereas, colonoscopy is a 1-step approach for detecting CRC or polyps and polypectomy can be performed if polyps are detected.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Dr. Fong commented that the sensitivity for detecting CRC of FOBT and FIT is about 75%, whereas the sensitivity for detecting polyps of the tests would be lower, at about 25-30%. The main advantages of the tests are their low costs and non-invasiveness. However, for FOBT, but not FIT, the accuracy may be influenced by certain food and medications. He further noted that the sensitivity for detecting polyps or CRC of colonoscopy is higher than 95%. However, preparation works are required by the patient and there is risk of bleeding for colonoscopy. Of note, previous review showed that screening by FOBT might reduce CRC mortality in the average risk population by 16%, whereas colonoscopy was associated with 61% reduction in CRC mortality<sup>2<\/sup>.<\/p><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7e7caf2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7e7caf2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Non-stop Evolution of CRC Diagnosis<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e14e03a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e14e03a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Faecal Bacterial DNA Testing<\/strong><br \/>Developing diagnostic tests for CRC is a hot topic in gastroenterology and cancer research. Particularly, the application of faecal DNA testing has launched a new era in the non-invasive part of CRC screening. In particular, a research team of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently identified a novel faecal Lachnoclostridium marker for the non-invasive diagnosis of colorectal adenoma and cancer. Based on metagenomic analysis of two independent Asian groups, which included 274 CRC, 353 adenoma and 385 controls, \u201cm3\u201d from a Lachnoclostridium sp., Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) and Clostridium hathewayi (Ch) were found to be significantly enriched in adenoma. Faecal m3 and Fn were significantly increased from normal to adenoma to CRC (p&lt;0.0001,\u00a0<strong>Figure 2<\/strong>). Essentially, the combination of m3 with Fn, Ch, Bacteroides clarus and FIT performed best for diagnosing CRC, with specificity =81.2% and sensitivity =93.8%<sup>7<\/sup>.\u00a0<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae13b1d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ae13b1d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e90c836 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e90c836\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1326\" height=\"970\" src=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-501\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_4.jpg 1326w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_4-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_4-1024x749.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/news4_4-768x562.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1326px) 100vw, 1326px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-82e9dbd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"82e9dbd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Figure 2.<\/strong><br \/>Quantitative detection of faecal m37, N: healthy control, A: adenoma<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b14bf93 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b14bf93\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-sm-12\" data-type=\"container-content\"><section><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-sm-12\" data-type=\"container-content\"><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Undoubtedly, the identification of the novel faecal bacterial marker m3 for the diagnosis of colorectal adenoma and CRC, with the sensitivity significantly higher than FIT and comparable to that of colonoscopy, offers an accurate non-invasive approach for early colon cancer detection. The novel test can spare patients from an unnecessary colonoscopy thus reducing the risk of invasive testing. Dr. Fong added that this test would help physicians to prioritise medical resources while the demand on colonoscopy is very high nowadays. Nonetheless, he expressed that the long-term efficacy of the diagnostic test on reducing incidence of colon cancers and associated mortality, and the optimal testing interval are still unknown. Hence, further investigations are warranted.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>In response to the enquiry on the possibilities of diagnosing CRC with blood or urine instead of faecal sample, Dr. Fong commented that the sensitivity and accuracy of diagnosing colon cancers based on circulating tumour\/abnormal DNA in body fluid sample are relatively low since it mainly detects more advanced CRC rather than precancerous lesions. Thus, at this moment, the body fluid samples may not be suitable for CRC screening.<\/p><\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\">\u00a0<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-368bdb7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"368bdb7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Artificial Intelligence (AI)<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0c53176 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0c53176\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-sm-12\" data-type=\"container-content\"><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>Asides the development in biomarkers, the application of computer-assisted systems in endoscopy, radiology, and pathology has improved the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of many gastrointestinal diseases. For instance, innovations in deep learning, a subfield of AI, have brought remarkable advances in image recognition, which facilitates improvement in the early detection of cancer by endoscopy, ultrasonography, and CT. In addition, AI-assisted big data analysis represents a great step forward for precision medicine.<\/p><\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>A recent meta-analysis by Bedrikovetski et al (2021) including 17 studies on the accuracy of radiomics models and\/or deep learning for the detection of lymph node metastasis in CRC by CT\/MRI suggested that AI models would provide more accurate predictions on lymph node metastasis in rectal cancer and CRC as compared to radiologists<sup>8<\/sup>.<\/p><\/div><\/section><section data-type=\"component-text\"><div class=\"page-header\"><p>In addition to cancer diagnosis, Dr. Fong expected that AI would play a role in the development of personalised medicine. With the development of data-intensive biomedical assays and technologies, such as genomics, imaging protocols and wireless health monitoring devices, the demand for strategies for analyzing, integrating and interpreting the massive amounts of biomedical data has increased dramatically. Dr. Fong noted that taking the highly diversified biomedical data of an individual together, the biomedical profile generated would be personalised, whereas AI would be appropriate in accessing and integrating the data and serve as an assistant for physicians to provide personalised treatments for patients.<\/p><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b704e8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0b704e8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Trust Your Gut? Check Your Gut!<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a7f7f7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0a7f7f7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As a final remark, Dr. Fong stressed that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial since many risk factors for CRC, such as obesity and smoking, can be controlled by lifestyle modification. Further, he reminded that it is important to consult a physician if abnormalities, such as a persistent change in bowel habit, have been observed so as to facilitate early diagnosis and timely treatment. \u201cEarly-stage cancers are curable,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-30decc3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"30decc3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ac16430\" data-id=\"ac16430\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b9f1764 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b9f1764\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>References<br \/><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">1.\u00a0<\/span>Centre for Health Protection &#8211; Colorectal Cancer. https:\/\/www.chp.gov.hk\/en\/healthtopics\/content\/25\/51.html.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">2.\u00a0<\/span>Recommendations on prevention and screening for colorectal cancer in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Med J 2018; 24: 521-6.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">3.\u00a0<\/span>Anderson e tal. Biomed Res Int 2015; 2015. DOI:10.1155\/2015\/871613.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">4.\u00a0<\/span>Eligibility of Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme updated. https:\/\/www.info.gov.hk\/gia\/general\/202012\/30\/P2020123000566.htm.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">5.\u00a0<\/span>Tsang et al. Hong Kong Med J 2020; 26: 546-8.\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">6.\u00a0<\/span>Rex et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2017; 112:<\/p><p>\u8cc7\u6e90\u8f49\u8f09\uff1aV-Pulse<br \/>https:\/\/www.vpulsehk.com\/detail.php?id=236&amp;fid=4&amp;obname=Feature%20Story<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Advancement in Diagnosis for Colorectal Cancer Colo &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/hkmed_20220208b\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Keep the Gut Out of Mischief | Dr. Fong Ka Leuk<\/span> \u67e5\u770b\u5168\u6587 &raquo;<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health_news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1573,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions\/1573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hongkongmed.com\/zh_cn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}