Colon Cancer

Colon is a portion of the digestive tract where the body stores waste material just before expulsion. The adult colon is approximately 5 feet long. The colon connects to the small intestine at one end and to the rectum at the other. The principle function of the colon is to absorb salts and water from partly digested food entering the colon from the bowel and then pass on the remaining matter to the rectum where it is expelled.

What is Colorectal Cancer?

Colorectal tumors are growths that develop on the inside wall of the rectum or the colon. Cancer of the colon or the rectum can rapidly spread to nearby areas like the liver and damage it. At this stage the cancer is said to have metastasized, and is likely beyond cure.
Globally, Colon Cancer is the third most prevalent cancer in males and the fourth in females. Occurrence is much more common in western nations and those with similar lifestyles.

What causes Colorectal Cancer?

Like with any other cancer, precise causes of colon cancer are hard to pin down. It remains a fact that some people are simply more likely to have colorectal cancer than others. Factors generally believed to increase colorectal cancer risk include family history of this cancer, high intake of fats, colon polyps and chronic colon ulcers.

a) Genetics

One study estimates the overall risk of colon cancer amongst first order relatives to be approximately 18%, which is thrice that of those without any family history of cancer. Those who inherit colon cancer genes are at a high risk of getting colon polyps and subsequent colon cancer, at a young age.

b) Diet

Diets that include vegetables and high-fiber foods like cereals and whole grain breads cleanse the bowel of potential colon carcinogens and thus reduce risk, while fatty and processed foods that are harder for the digestive system to break down accomplish just the reverse and increase risk to colorectal cancer.

c) Colon Polyps

Cancer experts believe that almost all colon cancers develop from colon polyps. Timely removal of benign colon polyps is vital for prevention of colorectal cancer.

d) Ulcers

Colon Cancer is recognized to be a specific complication of chronic colon ulcers. The risk of cancer in people with persistent colon ulcers begins to increase after 8 to 10 years of affliction.

What are the symptoms of Colon Cancer?

Symptoms of any cancer are usually small, unspecific and manifest late. Those of colorectal cancer include weakness, fatigue, irregular bowel movement, constipation or diarrhea, blood in stool, abdominal pain, weight loss and cramps. Symptoms also vary depending on where in the bowel the tumor is physically located. The right side of the colon is larger and tumors here can grow to large sizes before any abdominal symptoms can be observed, while tumors in the smaller left side can quickly cause bowel obstructions and get noticed.

What tests can help detect Colon Cancer?

A barium-enema X-ray or a colonoscopy can help confirm the diagnosis and physically locate the tumor.

• Barium-Enema

The procedure involves X-raying the colorectal tract after the patient is administered an enema with a white liquid that contains barium. The barium highlights the intestines and any abnormal growths can be seen as dark shadows in the developed X-ray.

• Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is an accurate procedure involving inserting a long and flexible tube through which the rectum and the inside of the colon can be inspected. An advantage of colonoscopy is that if polyps are discovered, samples can be removed by the colonoscope during the process of colonoscopy itself and sent to a pathology lab for discovering whether the tissue is cancerous.

How can Colorectal Cancer be prevented?

The best bet is the timely removal of colon polyps as soon as it is discovered. A number of health organizations have also come up with general guidelines for screening that can be crudely used to get an assessment of the cancer situation.

What are the possible treatments, and how likely is survival?

Surgery is the current best treatment for colorectal cancer. The tumor, along with a part of the surrounding bowel and lymph nodes, is removed, and healthy sections are later reconnected. Medical professionals help such patients deal with their post-surgery situation and most such patients get back to living a normal life.

Other treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, local infusion of chemo-therapeutic agents into the liver (by far the most common site of colon cancer metastasis) etc. Under select conditions, these procedures have yielded treatment efficiency as high as 80%.

Survival rates depend on a number of factors, including the depth to which the cancer has penetrated. Very early detection can ensure long-term survival rates in 4 out of 5 cases.