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Posts Tagged ‘Cancer Colon’

After skin cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer, Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer type occurring in women across the globe. There are many types of colon cancer: Carcinoid Tumors, Lymphoma, Melanoma and Sarcomas. However, the most common of all the colon cancers is Colon Carcinoma.

A colon in the human body is a long, coiled tube shaped organ, which helps in removing water from the digested food. It is also called the large intestine or the large bowel having four sections: Ascending Colon, Transverse Colon, Descending Colon and Sigmoid Colon. Colon cancer is a type of cancer, which forms in the colon tissues. It is often referred to as colorectal cancer. Colon cancers usually are adenocarcinomas, which mean that they begin in cells releasing mucus and other type of fluids.

Who Are At Risk Of Having Colon Cancer?

Colon cancer is responsible for most of the deaths elated to cancer, but doctors say that an early diagnosis can reduce the risk. Immediate action can also lead to full cure of a patient. The risk of having colon cancer increases, if you:

1-Have cancer elsewhere in your body

2-Have a personal history of breast cancer

3-Have a family history of colon cancer

4-Have colorectal polyps, crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis

Apart from the above stated reasons, the risk of having colon cancer also depends on your diet. Doctors say that chances of colon cancer may increase, if you are having red meat and a high fat with low fibre diet. Some genetic syndromes may be also responsible in developing colon cancer.

Symptoms of Colon Cancer

There are several symptoms indicating the presence of colon cancer in your body. Some of them include blood in your stool, narrow stools, tenderness & pain in the lower abdomen, unexplained anaemia, sudden weight loss, constipation, diarrhoea, intestinal obstruction and changes in bowel habits.

Take Immediate Action against the Menace

If you feel that you are having any of the symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. There are many physical exams, which needs to be done on your belly area. There are also imaging tests that are extremely helpful in diagnosing colon cancers. Again, tests similar to sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy confirm the presence of colon cancer.

One more test of detecting colon cancer is the fecal occult blood test (FEBT). After detection of colon cancer, additional tests known as staging is done to check the exact area in which the colon cancer has spread.

Treatment of Colon Cancer

The treatment of colon cancer is mainly dependent on the stage in which it has been detected. The most common treatments for colon cancer are chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy medicines kill the colon cancer cells, radiation therapy destroys the cancerous tissue present and surgery may be done to remove the cancer cells.

If treated at an early stage, nearly 90% of patients suffering from colon cancer may survive for minimum of five years after diagnosis. And in cases where the colon cancer does not recur within a period of five years, the patient is considered to be fully cured.

Colon cancer is one the most prevalent forms of cancer among the American population. Although inappropriate diet and unhealthy lifestyle considerably increase the risks of developing colon cancer, many forms of the disease occur on the premises of underlying genetic predispositions. Statistics reveal that more than 5 percent of colon cancers worldwide are caused solely by genetic dysfunctions and physiologic abnormalities. Depending on their underlying cause, colon cancers can be either acquired (sporadic colon cancers), or genetically-inherited.

Most cases of colon cancer occur due to formation of polyps in different regions of the large bowel (colon). Colonic polyps are prominent soft tissues that can easily become malignant. There are many different types of hereditary colon cancers and many of them are primarily caused by colonic polyps. The most common types of genetically-inherited colon cancers are adenomatous polyposis and Gardner’s syndrome. Non-polyposis colon cancer is also common among hereditary forms of the disease. Unlike other types of genetically-inherited colon cancers, non-polyposis colon cancer doesn’t always involve the formation of polyps. Uncommon forms of hereditary colon cancer are Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and juvenile polyposis.

Unlike non-hereditary forms of colon cancer, which are usually developed by people with ages over 50, hereditary colon cancers can occur in young people as well. In fact, some forms of genetically-inherited colon cancers are predominantly developed by very young children and teenagers.

People who have a family history of colon cancer should pay regular visits to an oncologist, as it is very important to timely reveal the signs of large bowel disease in order to maximize the chances of recovery. Discovered in its incipient stages, colon cancer can be effectively overcome through the means of surgical intervention or specific therapies. However, if colon cancer is discovered late, patients’ prognosis is generally uncertain.

Colonoscopy is a very common and reliable method of revealing traces of colon cancer in patients. Through the means of colonoscopy, doctors can quickly spot potential signs of abnormalities at the level of the large bowel. Colonoscopy is very useful in the process of diagnosing hereditary or sporadic forms of colon cancer, as it can easily reveal the presence of malignant colonic polyps or extended tumors. People who have blood-relatives affected by colon cancer are very exposed to developing the disease as well. Thus, they should receive frequent examinations with colonoscopy in order to timely discover signs of malignant activity at the level of the large bowel.

Both acquired (sporadic) and hereditary colon cancers are life-threatening diseases and they need to be discovered as soon as possible in order to minimize the risk of morbidity. Colon cancers have an unpredictable pattern of evolution and their development is strongly influenced by genetically-inherited abnormalities. While lifestyle improvements and healthy diet can diminish the risks of developing sporadic colon cancer, people with underlying physiological abnormalities of the large bowel are very vulnerable to developing hereditary colon cancer regardless of their actions.

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

The cells in your large intestine are exposed to many types of substances that result from digestion and the activity of micro-organisms. What’s more, the cells have a high turnover rate – your intestinal lining completely replaces its cells every week or so. All this metabolic activity makes the cells particularly vulnerable to damage. In some cases, that damage can result in cancer of the colon or rectum. Not counting skin cancer, colon and rectal cancers are the fourth most common form of cancer. Approximately fifty-six thousand people in the United States will die this year because of the disease, accounting for about 3 percent of all deaths.

While scientists do not know the exact cause of colorectal cancer, we do know that it is among the most preventable forms of cancer, even with people with a positive family history of this disease. Clearly diet plays a huge role. The typical American diet – high in fat, low in fiber from fruits and vegetables – is largely to blame. Fat takes longer to digest than other nutrients. Breaking down fat can cause a kind of residue to form in the intestine. This residue irritates cells and can cause them to become abnormal. What’s more, as I have explained, fat triggers production of bile, and bile acids may further irritate and damage cells. Lack of fiber means all this bad stuff is not able to pass out of the intestine as fast as it should.

Colorectal cancer often begins when a polyp grows on the intestinal lining. A polyp is a mushroom-shaped clump of tissue. Most polyps are harmless, but a small percentage of them can become cancerous. Colorectal cancer may or may not cause symptoms. Your doctor can detect polyps through a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy, which uses a viewing scope to examine the lower part of the intestine, or a colonoscopy, which explores the whole organ. Often the polyp can be removed by snipping if off at the base. However, if many polyps are present, or if some of them appear to be progressing into cancer, it may be necessary to remove a section of the intestine through surgery.

Obviously, preventing colorectal cancer is the best way to go. The best strategy is to eat a healthy diet. Cut down on meat, protein, and animal fat. Avoid meat that has been fried, charcoal-grilled, or cooked at high temperatures; these forms of preparation produce high levels of cancer-causing compounds. Increase fiber intake by eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Foods rich in calcium, vitamin C, and folate appear to offer protection. Calcium is of special interest, because it readily binds with irritants in colon and blocks their ability to stimulate cell proliferation. A recent study found that when people who had had polyps removed supplemented their diet with 1,200 mg of calcium a day, cell growth in the colon returned to normal.

A healthy lifestyle helps too. Drinking more than one or two alcoholic beverages especially beer a day appears to increase the risk, perhaps by encouraging cells to reproduce more rapidly and by damaging the new cells. Cigarette smoking may cause a high risk of polyps; in smokers, polyps are more likely to regrow after they have been removed. People who exercise throughout their lives and who maintain a healthy weight have a lower rate of colorectal cancer. Some evidence suggests that taking aspirin and other NSAIDs or, better yet, natural inhibitors of prostaglandin may help.