Colorectal cancer is the disease affecting the colon (large intestine). The cancer starts in the colon or the rectum (end of the colon).
(prHWY.com) May 14, 2012 - Mumbai, India --
Colorectal Cancer - The Signs
Colorectal cancer is the disease affecting the colon (large intestine). The cancer starts in the colon or the rectum (end of the colon). Almost all cases of colon cancer start in glands in the lining of the colon and rectum, and begin as benign polyps, which slowly develop into cancer. Research has identified some factors that may be linked to colon cancer. They include:
♦ Age: Colon cancer is mostly seen in people above 60 years though it can affect any age
♦ Diet: High in red or processed meat, fat and alcohol
♦ Family history of colon cancer
♦ Colorectal polyps
♦ Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
♦ Obesity and sedentary lifestyle
♦ Smoking
Certain genetic syndromes like familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) also increase the risk of developing colon cancer.
Colon cancer has non-specific symptoms and many do not have any at all, thus delaying the diagnosis and treatment. However, the following symptoms may be suggestive of colon cancer;
♦ Abdominal pain and tenderness
♦ Persistent nausea and vomiting
♦ Blood in the stool (is often mistaken for piles/haemorrhoids) leading to anaemia at times
♦ Diarrhoea, constipation, or other change in bowel habits-- narrow stools (ribbon like)
♦ Weight loss with no known reason
♦ Sense of incomplete bowel evacuation after a bowel movement
A confirmative diagnosis of colon cancer is done by tumour biopsy (in which a small part of the tumour is taken and sent for analysis to a pathologist, who confirms whether it is cancer or not) which is done during sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. The extent to which the disease has spread is then usually determined by doing a CT scan. In certain cases PET and MRI may be used. too.
Next is the staging for colon cancer, which determines how- much the initial tumour has spread and whether it has spread to distant organs or not. Staging helps we determine the treatment options and also the prognosis. Once staging is done the treatment starts and depending on the staging, it may include any or all the options given below;
♦ Surgery
♦ Chemotherapy (drugs used for killing cancer cells)
♦ Radiotherapy: It uses high-en- ergy radiation like X-rays to kill cancer cells and to prevent recurring
♦ Targeted therapy
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