Cancer is the name for a disease that can affect cells from all the organs and body's structures and is considered to be life threatening. The colon and rectum are a part of the large intestine and their function is to absorb nutrients and water from the food that passes through the intestine before it goes out of the body. Colorectal cancer is the disease that affects the cells from the colon and rectum creating a malign or benign tumor.
2.How can I know if I have colorectal cancer?
Some of the symptoms of this type of cancer are: diarrhea alternating with constipation and the feeling that the bowel has not emptied completely even after going to the bathroom. Also, seeing blood in the stool can be a clue for colorectal cancer. Abdominal pains and bloating can be present and feeling tiredness and vomiting can occur too.
These symptoms also appear in other affections and having them does not necessarily mean that you have colorectal cancer. A doctor will be able to diagnose your affection by performing some quick tests.
3.Why does colorectal cancer appear?
Scientists have not found out exactly why this disease occurs but they believe that if you follow a diet that is rich in proteins and fats and low in fiber you might develop cancer. Also, having a family history of colorectal cancer and breast or uterus cancer could be a risk for you. Drinking alcohol is also a factor that leads to cancer. If you have polyps on the inner wall of the intestine and you leave them untreated they can transform into malign tumors (meaning that cancer had occurred).
4.What data exist about the frequency of colorectal cancer?
In the whole world, colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer in males and the fourth in women. It is quite rare in Asia and Africa but you can find it frequently in the Western world. Those who have adopted western diets are at risk to develop colorectal cancer.
Scientist believe that in the close future 1 or 2 people out of every 100 will develop colorectal cancer after the age of 50.
Until now, 4 out of 10 patients are diagnosed with cancer only after their disease had advanced to a next stage, meaning that treatment options will not be available in such a large number and probably the most indicated procedure will be surgery. Only in a small number of cases patients will require drug treatment.
5.How can colorectal cancer be treated?
Treating cancer is made after staging the disease, meaning that the doctors will try to find out how much the cancer has spread.
The most indicated procedure is surgery because it removes the tumor. In some cases the tumor will not reappear. Sometimes, during the surgery the doctor will be forced to perform a colostomy.
If the cancer has spread, chemotherapy or radiation therapy will be recommended because it will kill the cancerous cells and will stop them from dividing and spreading even more.
When the doctors decide to treat colorectal cancer they pay attention in what stage is the cancer situated. If the colon cancer is in the first stages the treatment will be different as if it was in the last stages. The age of the patient, its medical history and tolerance for certain medication will guide the doctor in establishing the most proper treatment method.
The most common method of treating cancer is surgery. This means that a partial bowel resection will be done in order to remove the tumor and a little bit of healthy colon tissue. After that the two healthy pieces of the colon will be sewed together. Sometimes the doctor can not sew the two heads of the colon and will be forced to make a hole on the surface of the body in order to create another anus, also known as a colostomy. This second anus will not be kept forever, it will be kept until the colon heals and can be sewed back. Sometimes if the situation is bad and the colon can not be saved, this colostomy will be permanent. The patient will further need a special bag made for collecting the body wastes. These bags are only for one use and are not able to be seen due to clothing and are easy to replace even by the patient.
Surgery can also be performed with the help of the laparoscope. The surgeon will make small incisions in the abdomen and through them he will introduce the pieces of the laparoscope inside the body. The surgery resembles with the classical one.
Chemotherapy tries to stop cancerous cells from growing or dividing. There can be used oral drugs or drugs injected into the vein or muscle that will reach the cancer cells by entering the bloodstream, and is called systemic chemotherapy. Another type of chemotherapy is the regional chemotherapy when the chemotherapy is placed directly into the cancerous area.
Another type of cancer therapy is the one based on radiations. For killing the cancer cells, there are two types of radiation therapy used: one is the external therapy meaning that a machine situated near the body will transmit radiation towards the cancerous area; the second method is the internal therapy based on radioactive substance sealed in needles and catheters that will be placed in the sick area of the body.
Patients will be guided in the process of choosing a treatment by their doctor who will explain them the procedures, the efficiency and the side effects of all therapies.
Until now surgery seems to be the most effective therapy option but for a maximum effect it should be applied along with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy are possible and they might be: fatigue, bowel movement, diarrhea and the loss of appetite.
After treatment is done the patient will need several check-ups in order to prevent eventual coming backs of the cancer. If the patient observes loss of weight, and blood in the stool these might be the signs of a recurrence of the disease. Colonoscopy, CT and MRI scanning can be done after one year since treatment was done.
New therapy refers to the use of monoclonal antibodies, immunotherapy, and even vaccines, but these are still on trials and scientists want to see their exact effectiveness.
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