What is colon cancer?
The colon cancer starts in the large intestine known as the colon.
When the colon cancer and rectal cancer combined, it is known as colorectal cancer and it starts in rectum.
Colon or rectal cancer mainly begins in the length of the colon, rectum, and anus.
Colon cancer usually affects older adults, but it can occur at any age.
Various treatments are available to control colon cancer like radiation treatment and drug treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, surgery.
Colon cancer is curable if it is detected at an early stage.
Colon cancer causes and symptoms are given below.
When the cells in the colon or rectum develop changes which cause unable to control growth and division and thus develops cancer.
When these cells break loose the immune system and grow out of control, forming a tumor within the colon.
Certain risk factors that cause colorectal cancer are tobacco smoking, including diet and heavy alcohol use.
Individuals with a family history of colorectal cancer have a high risk of developing cancer. Known risk factors for colorectal cancer include:
- Inherited syndromes: Two common inherited syndromes are familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) which causes colorectal cancer and some other types of the syndrome are Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome, Turcot Syndrome, and Lynch Syndrome.
- Diet: Those who consume more red meat like beef, hot dog, lamb, have a higher chance of developing colon cancer.
- Family history: If your blood relatives like Father, Mother, Sister, and Brother are diagnosed with colon cancer, then your doctor may suggest a colonoscopy to test for colorectal cancer.
- Smoking: Smoking also increases the chance of developing cancer, elements associated with smoking can be swallowed, increase the risk of colon cancer.
- Lazy lifestyle: Peoples who live a sedentary lifestyle have a higher risk of developing cancer.
- Consumption of Alcohol: Too much alcohol consumption may lead to an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
- Age: The chances of developing colon cancer increases after the age of 45. According to a study by the National Cancer Institute 95% of the patient develops colon cancer after the age of 45.
- Chronic bowel diseases: Diseases like ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, can increase the chances of developing colorectal cancer. The longer you experienced these diseases higher the chances are of developing colon cancer.
- Diabetes: Mainly Type II diabetes, have a higher risk of developing rectal cancer.
Symptoms of colon cancer
- Bleeding in rectal (Rectal Bleeding)
Rectal bleeding can also cause by hemorrhoids, patients with hemorrhoids experience signs that come and go, but the rectal bleeding in the case of cancer grows and gets worse with time.
- Bowel and Abdominal pain
Pain in the stomach or pain in the bowel and abdominal region can be signs of colorectal cancer. These signs are common that can also be caused by gastrointestinal pain, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. It is advisable that you should consult your doctor when you feel frequent abdominal pain.
- Changes in Bowel ways
It includes symptoms like- feeling a bowel that doesn’t appear to empty completely, changes in the size of bowel movements, constant diarrhea or constipation, very narrow stool. These symptoms can be caused by diet change, viral infection, eating unpleasant foods, but if these symptoms occur for a long time then you must consult a professional doctor.
- Pain in Pelvic region
Pain in the pelvic region indicates that cancer has spread to the pelvic areas.
- Blood in stool
Blood in stool, typically a darker colored bowel movement, which indicates that there is bleeding in the intestinal region.
- Weight loss
Unexpected weight loss, feeling weak, losing your appetite can be signs of colon or rectal cancer.