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Archive for the ‘Colon Cancer Symptoms’ Category

Symptoms of colon cancer do not appear in all the patients when the disease is in an early stage but only after it has advanced in gravity. This is why doctors recommend that after a certain age people should ask for screenings regularly.

Colorectal cancer can give a lot of symptoms but they all match other diseases too like: inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulosis, and irritable bowel syndrome. All these diseases can be treated but they first must be diagnosed in order to apply a right treatment.

Patients come at the hospital because they are constipated, or have diarrhea for more than a week. Sometimes people observe that their stool is much thinner than before and that it comes with blood. They might be feeling abdominal pain, cramps, and bloating. Most of the patients loose a lot of weight in a short period of time and they feel that they have not defecated sufficiently.

Cancer determines cells to divide in an uncontrollable way. Generally the cells of the body divide only when needed, like when they grow old and other cells need to be produced in order to replace them or when they are in a small amount and the body needs more of them. Because the cells are produced in an increased number, a mass of unknown tissue will form, known as a tumor (this tumor can be benign or malign). Doctors believe that this type of cancer is developing from polyps situated in the large intestine. These polyps are considered to be benign but left untreated for years they can transform in malign tumors.

There are several types of polyps: adenomas, which can become cancerous but are easily removed during a colonoscopy; inflammatory polyps which appear after an ulcerative colitis and can also become cancerous and hyperplasic polyps which rarely transform into cancer.

If the cancer passes to a next stage it can affect the local lymph nodes and then get into the blood stream and affect other organs giving metastases.

The colorectal cancer can affect old people as well as young people but most of the cases are recorded at those aged over 50. There are several factors that increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer: those who have a family history of colon cancer or other type of cancer is at risk; those who drink alcohol and follow an improper diet can develop this disease. Also, people who suffer of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, and familial adenomatous polyposis are exposed at a greater risk than others. There is a type of nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome which also occurs in the same family members but now people who are at risk can be identified through genetic screening.

Those who have adopted western diets, are obese, are smoking and also follow a diet that is rich in proteins and fats and low in fiber are at risk to develop colorectal cancer.

For greater resources on colon cancer or especially about colon cancer symptoms please visit this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com/colon-cancer-symptoms.htm

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In the United States, around 1000 patients die each day from complications of cancer. Approximately 2.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the dreaded disease in 2007. The exact cause of cancer is unknown. It is only characterized by the abnormal cell division and growth. Genetics, exposure to chemicals and lifestyle are just some of the risk factors in cancer.

Colon cancer is a particular cancer in which the primary affected area is the colon. Many studies showed that people with colon cancer are those who have been smoking, drinking excessively, suffers from inflammatory bowel disease and are obese. Regular colon cancer screenings should be accomplished if you are considered to be at risk. This kinds of screenings can help you fight against any kind of colon cancer that might decide to rear its ugly head. It’s important to take care of the matter before it becomes too much of a problem.

If you are exhibiting the following colon cancer symptoms, you should be evaluated for colorectal cancer at once.

1. Irregular bowel movements: you could have less or more bowel movements if you have colon cancer. You can even experience constipation more often. This is because the tumor in your colon is already obstructing the regular flow of your bowel.

2. Stomach Cramps- due to bowel obstruction, you will feel stomach cramps and sometimes even bloating. As the tumor grows bigger, it could actually be perforating the bowel wall causing pain and discomfort.

3. Bloody Stool- you might observe bleeding in your bowel. Sometimes the blood will be present in a very small amount and not be noticed. But there are also cases, where the stool is really bloody. A fecal occult blood test can confirm presence of blood in your stool.

4. Unexplained weight loss- one of the classic sign of cancer is weight loss. If you are losing weight even if you are not trying, you should ask your doctor.

5. Fatigue- another colon cancer symptom to look out for is unexplained tiredness. Some experts link this symptom to anemia or iron deficiency. To be sure, you should have your blood checked.

6. Nausea and vomiting- because of the tumor in your colon area, you might feel nauseous and even vomit for no apparent reason.

7. Gassy- obstruction of the colon by a tumor causes air to be trapped.

Diagnosing colon cancer can be done in a number of ways. Your doctor could perform a digital rectal exam to check for abnormal areas in your rectum. Another way is to take endoscopic images of your colon. This is done by inserting a lighted device in you rectum and images are transmitted to a monitor. This is a very accurate test and could also differentiate between a polyp and a tumor growth.

If detected early, colon cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The key is early diagnosis. Chances for survival are higher for people who are diagnosed at the early stages of colon cancer. This is the reason why you should be evaluated or screened by a cancer expert especially if you are exhibiting classic colon cancer symptoms.

There are several choices for colon cancer screening that one can choose from. Flexible sigmoidoscopy, FOBT, a combination between those two, colonoscopy or barium enema are the screening options for colon cancer. As you can imagine, all these options have their advantages and disadvantages. These can differ from a colon patient to another. There are some factors that have to be taken into consideration when a colon cancer patient chooses one of these strategies:

- the preference of the colon cancer patient;

- medical contraindications;

- adherence;

- the resources that are available for testing;

The clinic where the patient goes to do the screening for colon cancer should also talk to people about benefits and also about the risk that the colon cancer patient must face in each of these options that are available to him.

The screening intervals depend from a test to another. For example, if you choose the FOBT test for colon cancer, an annual screening is recommended. It is proved to reduce the rate of mortality. However, this colon cancer screening type unfortunately gives a lot of false- positive results. If colonoscopy is your choice, then this colon cancer screening must be done once in ten years. A shorter period of time, about five years, is recommended in barium enema. The reason is that this colon cancer screening option is thought to have a lower sensitivity. However, besides FOBT, all the other colon cancer tests can be done in shorter intervals as well, because studies have revealed that some of these tests can be effective even when done in those shorter intervals.

The age that both men and women should start screening for colon cancer is 50 years, because there is a great incidence of colon cancer above this age. However, if one of your family members is diagnosed with colon cancer, then it would be best for you to start screening even if you have not yet reached 50. There is no certain age when screening for colon cancer must be discontinued. However, in general, screening for colon cancer has been restricted to people that are older than 80 years.

The cost of these colon cancer screening tests also varies from a test to another. Colonoscopy is generally thought to be the most expensive of all these tests, but also the most sensitive. Furthermore, if colonoscopy is your choice, then you should know that this colon cancer screening tests also requires highly trained doctors besides the cost.

For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about colon cancer or even about colon cancer symptoms