Colon cancer is cancer that starts in the large intestine or the rectum. The colon makes up the longest part of the large intestine, which is a tube-like organ connected to the small intestine at one end and the anus at the other. The colon removes water and some nutrients and electrolytes from partially digested food.

Colon cancer does not always present symptoms in the early stages. Colon cancer symptoms usually do not appear until the disease has progressed into an advanced stage.

Most colon cancers originate from small, noncancerous tumors called adenomatous polyps that form on the inner walls of the large intestine. Some of these polyps may grow into malignant colon cancers over time if they are not removed during colonoscopy. Colon cancer cells will invade and damage healthy tissue that is near the tumor causing many complications.

There is no single cause for colon cancer. Nearly all colon cancers begin as noncancerous polyps, which slowly develop into cancer.

You have a higher risk for colon cancer if you have :

1. Cancer elsewhere in the body
2. Colorectal polyps
3. Crohn’s disease
4. Family history of colon cancer
5. Personal history of breast cancer
6. Ulcerative colitis
7. Smokers and heavy drinkers have an increased risk of developing colon cancer

Certain genetic syndromes also increase the risk of developing colon cancer.

Colon cancer can have many symptoms. However, in the early stages, people with colon cancer often have no symptoms at all. This is why regular screening beginning at 50 is an important investment in your healthy future.

1. A change in bowel habits
2. Diarrhea, constipation or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
3. Blood, either bright red or very dark in the stool
4. Stools that are narrower than usual
5. General abdominal discomfort such as frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness or cramps
6. Weight loss with no known reason
7. Constant tiredness
8. Vomiting

Unfortunately, colon cancers can be well advanced before they are detected. The most effective prevention of colon cancer is early detection and removal of precancerous colon polyps before they turn cancerous. Even in cases where cancer has already developed, early detection still significantly improves the chances of a cure by surgically removing the cancer before the disease spreads to other organs.

Other things you can do to lower your risk include the following:

1. Quit smoking. Smoking cigarettes has been clearly linked with higher risk of colon cancer

2. Take an aspirin or baby aspirin every day.

3. Take a safe dose of folic acid cevery day.

4. Engage in physical activity every day.

5. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day.

Different types of treatment are available for patients with colon cancer. The primary treatment of colon cancer is to surgically remove part or all of your colon. Treatment for colon cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Surgery

Surgery is the most common treatment for all stages of colon cancer. Depending on the stage and size of your tumor, your doctor will remove your cancer with Local excision, Resection, Radiofrequency ablation and Cryosurgery

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer.

Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.

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According to the latest facts, over 145,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer symptoms each year. Colorectal is a cancerous condition that affects the organs of the digestive system and rectum. The body’s primary digestive systems is made up of a large intestinal tract and colon.

Hence, the name colorectal. Combined these two organs have the responsibility of digesting food and extracting minerals and vitamins for the blood-stream where they are distributed to other parts of the body promoting nutritional health.

Symptoms include a wide variety of signs that indicate problems may be developing. Screening for early detection will play a significant role in helping you to overcome. Symptoms can include serious pain in your abdominal region, loss of appetite, blood in your bowel movements, feeling weak and fatigued, ongoing diarrhea, or prolonged constipation.

While these are not all inclusive symptoms, if you have chronic signs as these, you should consult with your doctor for further screening. The signs could be an indication of something entirely different such as something less serious, but nonetheless, should be treated.

Doctors use different methods to diagnose colon or colorectal cancer. The screening process involves a series of tests to evaluate this condition. The first and most common is a rectum exam where the doctor inserts a finger into the rectum to feel for lumps or growths. This is usually followed by a fecal test where stool samples are taken and analyzed for abnormalities.

If abnormalities are detected, a more advanced method may be employed such as the use of digital imaging that uses a variety of technological imaging devices to see inside the body. This can include MRI’s, CT’s, Colonoscopy, and even Ultrasounds. A biopsy may be required once the findings of abnormalities are confirmed.

Treatment can be intrusive or non-intrusive depending on the treatment plan your doctor designs for your treatment. The stage of colorectal cancer greatly determines the methods of treating cancer in the colon. Surgery is the most common treatment. Here affected sections of the intestines are simply removed. Depending on how large a section is removed will determine if the patient has to have a colostomy – where a stoma is inserted and body waste products are passed through to a bag and discarded.

Non-intrusive treatments can involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, or Electrofulgeration. Each can be discussed with your doctor and each may have its own side effects. Prescription medications may be taken to help alleviate pain after surgery. Use the resources on the Internet site to find information on prevention, find pictures, understand the colon cancer stages, types of rectal carcinomas (cancer de colon), and find alternative treatments.

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Colon cancer is, as its name suggests, a disease that affects the colon. The colon is a tube shaped organ, located in the abdomen, that starts at the end of the bowel and ends with the anus. It twists and turns a lot, so its length is over 4 feet. The functions of the colon are to digest the food, absorb the nutrient substances from it (proteins and aminoacids), and to create the concentrated fecal material, which is then stored and eliminated from the colon when the time comes. The end of the colon is called rectum. The rectum and the colon together form the large intestine.

When colon cancer occurs, tumors appear on the inner walls of the large intestine. There are two types of tumors – benign tumors, also called polyps, which are not dangerous, and malignant tumors, which are the cancer.
Polyps do not spread to other cells and tissues and they can be easily removed. Tumors on the other hand, can spread and cause life-threatening complications. Remember that a benign polyp will turn into a malignant tumor if it is not treated in time.

Once a colon cancer appears it will start to spread and attack other tissues and cells, and eventually it can reach the lungs or the liver and form new tumors there.

The causes of colon cancer are nor entirely known, but what is known is that some people are at a higher risk of developing colon cancer than others. Those who consume large quantities of fats and those who had a history of colon cancer in the family are most likely to get colon cancer. Smoking and alcohol also increases the risks.

The disease has almost no symptoms when it is in its early stages, and when it advances the symptoms are different from one person to another and they depend on the size of the cancer and its exact location.
The most commonly encountered symptoms of colon cancer are:

-narrow stools

-stool that contains blood

-abdominal cramps and pain

-excessive gas

-weight loss

-change in bowel habits

If you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above consult a doctor as fast as you can. He will make several tests in order to establish a diagnose. Some people consider these tests to be embarrassing, because among them there are rectal exams, and fecal sample tests.
If the test results indicate colon cancer than treatment must begin as soon as possible before it spreads to other areas. The main options for colon cancer treatment are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery the most popular treatment method.

The good news is that most of the people survive colon cancer, as time passes the survival rate increases. Survival depends on which stage of colon cancer the patient has. If the cancer has reached the final stage then the chances are much lower because the cancer has already spread to other distant organs of the body.

Although the treatments are improving and the survival rate is increasing colon cancer is still one of the leading cause of death, because many don’t know that they have it until they reach the final stages. It is important to pay attention to its symptoms and consult a doctor for medical advice from time to time.

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Colon cancer is a dangerous form of cancer that starts in the colon, and then if nothing is done to treat it, it will start to spread. The causes of colon cancer have not been discovered yet, but scientists are researching its causes and new treatments that can help cure colon cancer and metastatic colon cancer.

The colon and the rectum for the large intestine. First, a tumor appears in the colon or sometimes in the rectum, and then it starts to grow, and the cancerous tissue spreads. In time it can reach other organs, such as the liver or the lungs.

In its early phases colon cancer can be treated quite easily, and the survival rate for patients diagnosed with stage 2 or 3 colon cancer is over 80%. However, if the cancer advances to the third or fourth stage, it will be really hard to cure it, the survival rate drops under 10%, but there still is hope.

This is why it is important to learn the signs and symptoms of colon cancer, and detect them early in order to start the treatment as soon as possible. The problem is that stage 1 or 2 colon cancer has almost no symptoms at all, and it’s hard to detect this disease until it has already advanced too much.

These are the common symptoms that may indicate an early colon cancer or a high risk of developing colon cancer:

-stool that contains small amounts of blood
-bleeding from the anus, which appears more rarely, and may just be a coincidence, but it can also be a sign

If colon cancer has advanced, then many symptoms appear. The most commonly encountered ones are:

-pain in the abdomen

-vomiting and nausea

-larger amount of blood in the stool

-change in bowel habits

-sudden weight loss

-thin stool

-stomach cramps

-diarrhea

-fatigue or tiredness

If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above then immediately consult a doctor. Some of them can be cause by other affections, but in either case it’s important to seek medical attention. The doctors will perform some tests and clinical trials which will determine if you have or haven’t got colon cancer,and how far has it spread.

If it has not spread much then it can easily be treated with a colon cancer surgery, that removes the parts of the large intestine where tumors are.
A stage IV colon cancer diagnose is a very bad news, and it will probably change your life, but remember that there still is hope.

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