Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine. The colon is the end of our digestive system. Most colon cancers begin with the formation of clumps of small cells. These are also called adenomatous polyps.
After some time it takes the form of cancer. Colon cancer is more commonly seen in elderly people. Sometimes it starts with the rectum as well. That's why it is also called colorectal cancer.
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Colon cancer is a very common disease and it can happen to anyone, but most of the chances of getting it increase with increasing age. See your doctor for more information on this topic.
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The symptoms of colon cancer are as follows:
Changes in your bowel habits, diarrhea or constipation.
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Colon cancer can have the following causes.
In most cases the cause of colon cancer is not clear. When the DNA of healthy cells in the colon is damaged, the risk of developing cancer increases. Healthy cells grow and divide normally, but when the DNA of those cells is damaged, they start dividing abnormally. This causes a tumor.
Over time, cancer cells can multiply and spread to other parts of the body, affecting the surrounding normal tissue.
Gene mutations passed from one generation to another can also be the cause of this cancer.
Although the percentage of colon cancers associated with gene mutations is very low, they can still be a significant cause of colon cancer at times.
The symptoms of cancer passed from one generation to another can be as follows:
Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is also known as Lynch syndrome. People with HNPCC syndrome are more likely to develop cancer than normal patients. It is believed that such people can suffer from cancer before the age of 50.
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare type of disease. Because of this, thousands of polyps will form in your colon and rectum. Colon cancer occurs before the age of 40 in people who are at high risk of FAP.
FAP, HNPCC are the main symptoms of some inherited cancers. These can be detected by genetic testing. If you are concerned about your family's history of colon cancer, ask your doctor to find out how likely you are to develop this cancer.
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Old age: Most of the people who have the problem of colon cancer are above the age of 50 years. Colon cancer can also be found in many young people, but it is very less likely.
African American race: Many races are more prone to colon cancer than other races.
Having a history of colorectal or polyps: If you already have rectal cancer or adenomatous polyps, you are more likely to get colon cancer.
Chronic Inflammatory Disease: Such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease can also be a main cause of colon cancer.
Having a history of familial colon cancer also increases the risk of this cancer.
Eating less fiber and more fat increases the chances of colon cancer.
Too much laziness promotes colon cancer.
Diabetic people are also more prone to colon cancer.
People suffering from obesity are more likely to get colon cancer.
People who smoke heavily or consume alcohol are also more likely to have colon cancer.
If you have had radiation therapy to cure cancer before, you can still get colon cancer.
To check for colon cancer, the doctor will do your complete physical checkup as well as check the medical history of the family. Treatment can be started correctly only after colonoscopy and barium enema X-ray.
In the process of colonoscopy, a long tube with a camera will be inserted into the rectum, so that the movements in the rectum can be seen. If polyps are seen in the colon, they are removed and sent to a pathologist for biopsy, to rule out the presence of cancerous cells.
Your doctor will tell you not to eat or drink anything for a few hours before the barium enema begins.
At the beginning of the procedure, a barium liquid solution will be injected into the rectum. X-rays will be taken after the barium is placed on the sides of the large intestine. X-rays will show barium white in color and polyps black or dark in color.
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There is no one effective method to cure cancer. It depends on the type of cancer, cancer stage, age, health status and depth of cancer. Chemotherapy, surgery or radiation therapy may be used to treat colon cancer.
Surgery
The surgery to remove part or all of the colon is called a colectomy. During colectomy, the area with cancer will be removed from the surrounding areas so that there is no possibility of becoming cancerous again.
Nearby lymph nodes will also be removed. Depending on how severe the colectomy is, a healthy part of the colon will be attached to the rectum.
When attached to the stoma found in the abdomen, this process is called colostomy. After this surgical procedure, the stool that comes out will go through the colostomy bag instead of going through the rectum.
An endoscopy may also be done instead of a colectomy for smaller cancers.
Laparoscopy may also be done to remove larger polyps.
Cancer can also be removed with the help of surgery. In this surgery, the blockage of the colon is removed, which reduces pain and does not bleed.
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Chemotherapy
In chemotherapy, cancer cells are destroyed with the help of chemicals, so that cancer does not occur. This process is mostly done in the dividing stage of cells, so that the DNA of cancer cells can be destroyed. By eliminating the molecules that make cancer, its growth can be stopped.
With chemotherapy, we can also treat cancer that has spread throughout the body (malignant cancer), because chemical drugs can be spread easily throughout the body. Treatment is done in cycles, so that one cycle after another cycle can be given time to recover. Many harmful effects of this treatment can also be seen, such as nervousness, hair fall, fatigue, vomiting. Sometimes other methods are also included in the treatment process along with chemotherapy. This is called combination therapy.
Research has found that taking aspirin in small amounts daily helps in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. However, there is no evidence yet of how effective the use of aspirin is. Therefore it is an optional part of the treatment.
Radiation
Radiation therapy is called radiotherapy therapy. In this process, cancer cells are destroyed with the help of highly energetic rays. This therapy uses rays emanating from the metal, which are known as gamma rays. Treatment with gamma rays is the only method in which the tumor shrinks.
Radiation therapy will not be used in the early stages of cancer, but in later stages, when the cancer reaches the lymph nodes through parts of the rectum, then it is possible to treat it with radiation therapy.
Some side effects of radiation therapy are sunburn, suntan, nervousness, vomiting, diarrhea, or feeling tired. After treatment, many patients often have problems with loss of appetite and weight loss.
To avoid colon cancer, what are the lifestyle changes and what are the home remedies to adopt?
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By making these changes in your lifestyle, you can soon get rid of the problems of colon cancer:
Know your cancer stage and decide which treatment will be better with the advice of your doctor.
Also read about cancer in local website and library. This will give you good information and you can use it in your treatment.
Learn about the effectiveness of the treatment.
Cancer patients need mental and emotional support. So stay close to your family and friends. This will help and you will feel better.
Keep someone close to you who will listen and understand what you say. Listen to your fears, hopes, and doubts and support you through your pain, making you feel emotionally stronger. For this, you can take the help of a friend, counselor or Cancer Support Society members.
