Colon Cancer Causes, Symptoms And Treatment!

Colon Cancer Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, And Prevention!

Understanding Colon Cancer

What Is Colorectal Cancer?

Colorectal cancer starts in the colon or the rectum. These cancers can also be called colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where they start. Colon cancer and rectal cancer are often grouped together because they have many features in common. Cancer starts when cells in the body start to grow out of control.

Colon Cancer:

Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine (colon), which is the final part of your digestive tract. Most cases of colon cancer begin as small, noncancerous (benign) clumps of cells called adenomatous polyps. Over time some of these polyps can become colon cancers. symptoms

Colon cancer doesn’t get the same attention as some higher-profile cancers, but it should. It’s the third most common cancer in the United States with 135,000 people diagnosed each year. And over a million men and women live with a history of the disease.

Then there’s the good news about colon cancer: It can be prevented. Seventy-five percent of all cases could be avoided by things you can do.

The colon and rectum:

To understand colorectal cancer, it helps to know about the normal structure and function of the colon and rectum.

The colon and rectum make up the large intestine (or large bowel), which is part of the digestive system, also called the gastrointestinal (GI) system (see illustration below).

Most of the large intestine is made up of the colon, a muscular tube about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. The parts of the colon are named by which way the food is traveling through them.

The first section is called the ascending colon. It starts with a pouch called the cecum, where undigested food comes in from the small intestine. It continues upward on the right side of the abdomen (belly).
The second section is called the transverse colon. It goes across the body from the right to the left side.
The third section is called the descending colon because it descends (travels down) on the left side.
The fourth section is called the sigmoid colon because of its “S” shape. The sigmoid colon joins the rectum, which then connects to the anus.

How do the colon and rectum work?

The colon absorbs water and salt from the remaining food matter after it goes through the small intestine (small bowel). The waste matter that’s left after going through the colon goes into the rectum, the final 6 inches (15cm) of the digestive system. It’s stored there until it passes through the anus.

Ring-shaped muscles (also called a sphincter) around the anus keep stool from coming out until they relax during a bowel movement.

Signs And Symptoms of Colon Cancer:

Signs and symptoms of colon cancer include:

A change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool, that lasts longer than four weeks.

Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool.
Persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas, or pain.
A feeling that your bowel doesn’t empty completely.
Weakness or fatigue.
Unexplained weight loss.

Many people with colon cancer experience no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. When symptoms appear, they’ll likely vary, depending on the cancer’s size and location in your large intestine.

How long do you live if you have colon cancer?

For colon cancer, the overall 5-year survival rate for people is 63%. If the cancer is diagnosed at a localized stage, the survival rate is 91%. If cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 72%.

When to see a doctor:

If you notice any symptoms of colon cancer, such as blood in your stool or an ongoing change in bowel habits, do not hesitate to make an appointment with your doctor.

Causes:

In most cases, it’s not clear what causes colon cancer. Doctors know that colon cancer occurs when healthy cells in the colon develop errors in their genetic blueprint, the DNA.

Healthy cells grow and divide in an orderly way to keep your body functioning normally. But when a cell’s DNA is damaged and becomes cancerous, cells continue to divide — even when new cells aren’t needed. As the cells accumulate, they form a tumor.

Some genes help control when our cells grow, divide into new cells, and die:

Certain genes that help cells grow, divide, and stay alive are called oncogenes.
Genes that help keep cell division under control or cause cells to die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes.

Cancers can be caused by DNA mutations (changes) that turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor suppressor genes. This leads to cells growing out of control. Changes in many different genes are usually needed to cause colorectal cancer.

Risk Factors:

Factors that may increase your risk of colon cancer include:

Older age.
African-American race.
A personal history of colorectal cancer or polyps.
Inflammatory intestinal conditions.
Inherited syndromes that increase colon cancer risk.
A family history of colon cancer.
Low-fiber, high-fat diet.
A sedentary lifestyle.
Having type 2 Diabetes.
Obesity.
Smoking.
Alcohol.
Radiation therapy for cancer.

Treatment Option Overview:

KEY POINTS

There are different types of treatment for patients with colon cancer.
Seven types of standard treatment are used:
- Surgery.
- Radiofrequency ablation.
- Cryosurgery.
- Chemotherapy.
- Radiation therapy.
- Targeted therapy.
- Immunotherapy.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
Treatment for colon cancer may cause side effects.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Follow-up tests may be needed.

There are different types of treatment for patients with colon cancer.

Different types of treatment are available for patients with colon cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer.

When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.

Prevention:

Cancer prevention is an action taken to lower the chance of getting cancer. By preventing cancer, the number of new cases of cancer in a group or population is lowered. Hopefully, this will lower the number of deaths caused by cancer.

To prevent new cancers from starting, scientists look at risk factors and protective factors. Anything that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor; anything that decreases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer protective factor.

Some risk factors for cancer can be avoided,

but many cannot. For example, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are risk factors for some types of cancer, but only smoking can be avoided. Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors for some types of cancer. Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may lower your risk, but it does not mean that you will not get cancer.

Different ways to prevent cancer are being studied, including:

Changing lifestyle or eating habits.
Avoiding things known to cause cancer.
Taking medicines to treat a precancerous condition or to keep cancer from starting.

Here are 10 Ways to Prevent Colon Cancer:

Use these eight tips as a guide to lowering your risk. Start with one or two and build from there. It’s your health. Take control.

1. Get Screened:

Getting regular screening tests for colon cancer is the single best way to protect yourself from the disease.
It can catch cancer early, when it’s most treatable, and help prevent the disease by finding abnormal growths called polyps that can turn into cancer.
There are a number of effective screening tests for colon cancer. Some are easy to do but need to be done more often.
Others are more involved but need to be done less often. Which test you have depends on your personal preferences and medical history. A doctor can help you decide.
Most people begin getting tested at age 50. People with a family history of colon cancer or other important risk factors may begin testing at younger ages and get tested more often.

Three Common Recommended Screening Options:

If a test finds anything suspicious, a follow-up colonoscopy is usually needed.

I. Colonoscopy:

A small flexible tube with a camera at the end is used to examine the full length of the inside of the colon.
You are sedated for the test, so you need a ride home afterward.
If the exam finds polyps or other suspicious growths, they can be removed during the test.

How Often: (Every 10 years).

OR

II. Home stool test (FOBT/FIT):

Tests that look for hidden blood in the stool, which can be a sign of cancer.
The test is quick and easy.
You just take small samples of your stool at home, which are then sent to a lab to be tested.

How Often: (Every year).

OR:

III. Flexible Sigmoidoscopy:

An exam is similar to a colonoscopy that uses a small flexible tube to examine the lower part of the colon (the sigmoid).
You don’t need to be sedated for a sigmoidoscopy.
Stool DNA, virtual colonoscopy, and barium enema are also effective screening tests.
Talk to a doctor about your options.

How Often : (Every 5 years).

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight:

Weight: Being overweight or obese increases the risk of colorectal cancer in both men and women, but the link seems to be stronger in men. Staying at a healthy weight may help lower your risk.

Except for smoking, nothing else raises the overall risk of cancer more than being overweight.
At least 13 different cancers have been linked to weight gain and obesity, including colon cancer.
An ideal goal is to weigh around what you did when you were 18 years old.
Realistically, if you’ve put on weight, the first goal is to stop gaining weight which has health benefits by itself.
Then, for a bigger health boost, slowly works to lose some pounds.

3. Don’t Smoke:

Quitting smoking may help lower your risk of colorectal cancer and many other types of cancer, too.

It hardly needs saying anymore, but not smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health.
On top of raising the risk of serious diseases like heart disease, stroke, and emphysema, smoking is a major cause of at least 15 different cancers, including colon cancer.
If you do smoke, quitting has real benefits, which start shortly after your last cigarette.
Talking to a doctor can double your chances of success.

4. Be Physically Active:

Being more active lowers your risk of colorectal cancer and polyps. Regular moderate to vigorous activity can lower the risk. Limiting your sitting and lying downtime may also lower your risk. Increasing the amount and intensity of your physical activity may help reduce your risk.

It’s hard to beat regular activity. It lowers the risk of many serious diseases, including colon cancer, and provides a good mental boost.
Any amount of physical activity is better than none, but it’s good to shoot for around 30 minutes or more of moderate activity each day.
Choose things you enjoy, like brisk walking, cycling, dancing, or gardening.

5. Drink Alcohol in Moderation, if at all.

Alcohol is a strange thing when it comes to health.
It’s heart-healthy in moderation but can up the risk of colon and other cancers at even low levels.
So what does this mean? If you drink moderately (up to one per day for women, two per day for men), there’s likely no reason for you to stop.
If you don’t drink, though, there’s no reason for you to start.
Heavy drinkers should try to cut down or quit.

6. Diet,

Overall, diets that are high in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and low in red and processed meats, probably lower colorectal cancer risk, although it’s not exactly clear which factors are important. Many studies have found a link between red meats (beef, pork, and lamb) or processed meats (such as hot dogs, sausage, and lunch meats) and increased colorectal cancer risk.

Limit Red Meat, Specially Processed Meat:

Eating too much red meat like steak, hamburgers, and pork increases the risk of colon cancer.
And processed meats like bacon, sausage, and bologna raise risk even more.
Try to eat no more than three servings each week.
Less is even better.

7. Get Enough Calcium And Vitamin D:

There is good evidence that getting enough calcium and vitamin D can help protect against colon cancer.
Shoot for 1000 to 1200 mg per day of calcium and about 1000 IU per day of vitamin D.
Some groups recommend testing for vitamin D deficiency, especially in those at increased risk of low levels.
Such as those living in northern parts of the country as well as the elderly, very overweight, and people with darker skin.

8. Consider a Multivitamin With Folate:

A daily multivitamin is a good nutrition insurance policy that can also help protect against colon cancer.
In addition to calcium and vitamin D, multivitamins also contain folate, which has been shown in numerous studies to lower the risk of colon cancer.
Avoid megadose vitamins.
A standard multivitamin is best.

9. Hormone replacement therapy for women:

Some studies have shown that taking estrogen and progesterone after menopause (sometimes called menopausal hormone therapy or combined hormone replacement therapy) may reduce a woman’s risk of developing colorectal cancer, but other studies have not.

Because taking estrogen and progesterone after menopause can also increase a woman’s risk of heart disease, blood clots, and cancers of the breast and lung, it’s not commonly recommended just to lower colorectal cancer risk.

10. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs):

Many studies have found that people who regularly take aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve), have a lower risk of colorectal cancer and polyps.

But aspirin and other NSAIDs can cause serious or even life-threatening side effects, such as bleeding from stomach irritation or stomach ulcers, which may outweigh the benefits of these medicines for the general public. For this reason, the American Cancer Society does not recommend taking NSAIDs just to lower colorectal cancer risk if you are someone at average risk.

Still,

for some people in their 50s who have a high risk of heart disease, where low-dose aspirin is found to be beneficial, the aspirin may also have the added benefit of reducing the risk of colorectal cancer.

Because aspirin or other NSAIDs can have serious side effects, check with your doctor before starting any of them on a regular basis.

Colon Cancer Prevention For People With a High Risk:

Some medications have been found to reduce the risk of precancerous polyps or colon cancer. However, not enough evidence exists to recommend these medications to people who have an average risk of colon cancer. These options are generally reserved for people with a high risk of colon cancer.

If you find this article useful, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family, as you might help someone in need. Thanks.

Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment for any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”

References

https://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal/patient/colon-treatment-pdq – https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/colorectal-cancer/statistics – [2] Fox A, Tietze PH, Ramakrishnan K. Anorectal conditions: hemorrhoids. FP Essentials. 2014;419:11–19.