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Posts Tagged ‘Colon Cancer’

Colon cancer also called is colorectal cancer and large bowel cancer. Colon cancer is cancer that starts in the large intestine (colon) or the rectum (end of the colon). Colorectal cancer causes 655,000 deaths worldwide per year, including about 16,000 in the UK. About a quarter of all adults in the U.S. over the age of 50 will have at least one colorectal polyp. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in US women. Most colorectal cancers develop from polyps in glandular tissue of the intestinal lining. Symptoms of colon cancer are numerous and nonspecific.

The first symptoms of colon cancer are commonly vague, like weight loss and fatigue (tiredness). Local (bowel) symptoms are rare until the tumor has grown to a large size. Other symptoms of colon cancer include fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, change in bowel habits, narrow stools, diarrhea or constipation, red or dark blood in stool, weight loss, abdominal pain, cramps, or bloating. There are several risk factors for the disease. Diet also contributes to the risk, although the cause-and-effect relationship is still unclear. People whose diets are high in fruits and vegetables seem to have a reduced risk.

Certain genetic syndromes also reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. Heavy exposure to certain chemicals, including chlorine , which in small amounts is commonly used to purify drinking water may increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Smoking cigarettes is other risk factor for colorectal cancer. The first treatment of colon cancer is to surgically remove part or all of your colon. Surgery is depend on the stage and size of your tumor. Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is also used to treat patients with stage IV colon cancer.

Chemotherapy is frequently utilized as a first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer to demolish cancer cells that have metastasized. It also may be used prior to surgery to increase the tumor. Eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet, and increasing physical activity can help prevent the disease. Radiation therapy may be used after surgery to kill any remaining areas of cancer or before surgery to shrink the tumor. Radiation also can be utilized to cure cancer from coming back to the place it started and to alleviate symptoms of advanced cancer. Biological treatment, also reffers immunotherapy, attempts to make your body fight against your cancer.

Colon cancer is a condition that is rather deadly and is considered as one of the toughest cancers to catch during the early levels. When this cancer spreads it will encompass the whole colon and rectum and it can distribute to other vital organs within in the body.

There are particular kinds of measures that can be done to treat colon cancer – but the chances of survival are decreased when the person is in the late level of it. For better chances of survival it is profound to study how to distinguish the early signs of colon cancer. The earliest you can receive the treatment you call for the higher your chance is to survive and beat it.

The most common early symptoms is rectal bleeding. Still, this might usually be mixed up with hemorrhoids. This is not the time to be taking any chances or guessing your medical condition. Rather you will want to speak to your doctor and allow them to determine for you what the problem is.

Blood within your bowel movements is also a commonly misdiagnosed sign. At time the blood can be dried and it can be difficult to find or forgotten easily. This bleeding is usually a sign that there is a tumor within the colon or the rectum.

There are other more subtle signs that people never seem to observe because they are not hurtful or fearful in anyway. Narrow stools over a long period of time could be a symptom of a tumor. The narrow shape of the waste in your body is stimulated when it is trying to make its way around the tumor.

If you are feeling constipated and bloated for a long period of time then you need to confer with your doctor. Also nausea and vomiting can occur and seems to happen with no obvious reason. You may also feel that you perpetually have to eliminate a bowel – but can’t seem to. All of this is induced by the tumor in your rectum or colon.

Ensure that you contact your physician and have a thorough exam if you are feeling any of these troubles. Early detection can increase your survival rate and serve you to live your life in ease.

If curing colon cancer is very difficult, it is quite contrary to prevent it. In fact, the majority of cancers of the rectum and colon could be prevented through regular checkup (examination or inspection), healthy lifestyle (eating healthy foods, regular colon cleansing, exercise, etc.), and chemoprevention.

Annual Check-up – annual health checkups is recommended to help detect health problems in their early stages. Early medical visit is the best preventive method to save your life from bowel cancer. Bowel cancer tends to develop in the polyps. Most polyps are present no symptoms at early stage, they are usually discovered at the time of colon cancer screening (digital rectal exam, flexible sigmoidoscopy, Barium enema, colonoscopy or virtual colonoscopy). Being present microscopically, benign colon polyps tend to transform with time into colon cancer. These abnormalities can be detected and removed early during a colonoscopy (a visual examination of examination of the large colon and the distal part of the small bowel) to avoid complications. It is estimated that this procedure could be reduced by 80% the risk of occurrence of intestinal cancer when you begin these tests at around 45, then every 5 or 10 years.

Diet and Lifestyle – it is no doubt that your lifestyle can increase the risk of cancer. The incidence of colorectal cancer (colon cancer or large bowel cancer) is very frequent in places where people practice the following: physical inactivity, excess calories intake (especially of saturated fat, protein, and sugar), alcohol abuse, consumption of a diet rich in red meat, sausages and hot dogs. Conversely, physical activity and a eating a diet rich in fruit and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, watercress, bok choy, etc.) containing antioxidant micronutrients would reduce the risk of cancer or its reoccurrence. In fact, these foods can be used as preventive and curative methods; a diet composed mostly of fruits, cruciferous veggies and fish may reduce the risk or cure certain bowel cancers at their genesis.

Chemoprevention – this method consist of the use of natural or synthetic substances in order to prevent, reverse, or delay the development of cancer cells. Micronutrients such as iron, cobalt, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, selenium, zinc and molybdenum, as well as other nutrients like calcium, folic acid (Vitamin B9), and certain medications such as aspirin may inhibit cancerogenesis, according to some studies in animals. Others studies show significant inhibition of spontaneous intestinal polyps in mice and rats.

Other substances used in chemoprevention include Cyclooxygenase-2-Selective Inhibitors (COX2), a form of Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that directly targets COX-2, an enzyme responsible for inflammation and peptic ulceration. When it comes to your health, prevention is always better than treatment, which does always lead to cure; make your first step today to prevent or eradicate colon cancer; visit cancerofolon.com, or click on the in the resource box below.