Calming Colon Cancer
You have rectal bleeding and pain with bowel movements. You have persistent diarrhea and constipation. Sometimes you need to have a bowel movement. You could have colon cancer.
Colon cancer is the type of cancer that begins in the large intestine (colon). The colon is the final part of the digestive tract.
Colon cancer typically affects older adults, though it can happen at any age. It usually begins as small, noncancerous (benign) clumps of cells called polyps which form on the inside of the colon. Over time some of these polyps become colon cancers.
Polyps are small and produce few if any symptoms at all. As such, doctors recommend regular screenings to help prevent colon cancer by identifying and removing polyps before they turn into cancer.
If colon cancer should develop, many treatments are available to control it such as surgery, radiation therapy and drug treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
Colon cancer is sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer, which is a term that combines colon cancer and rectal cancer, which begins in the rectum.
Signs and symptoms of colon cancer include a persistent change in your bowel habits including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool; rectal bleeding or blood in your stool; persistent abdominal discomfort, such as gas, cramps, or pain; a feeling like your bowel doesn’t empty completely; weakness or fatigue; and unexplained weight loss.
It is important to note that many patients with colon cancer don’t experience any symptoms in the early part of the disease. When symptoms appear, they will likely vary depending on the cancer’s size and location in your large intestine.
If you have persistent concerns regarding your symptoms, don’t hesitate to see your doctor as soon as possible. Ask your doctor about when to begin colon cancer screenings. Guidelines recommend beginning these screenings after age 50. Your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screenings if you have certain risk factors like a family history of the disease.
Scientists are unsure about what causes colon cancer. In general colon cancer begins when healthy cells in the colon develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. A cell’s DNA contains a set of instructions that tell the cell what to do.
Healthy cells grow and divide in an orderly manner to keep the body functioning normally. But when a cell’s DNA becomes damaged and cancerous, cells continue to divide, even when new cells aren’t needed. As the cells accumulate, they form a tumor.
With time, the cancer cells can grow to invade and destroy normal tissue nearby. And the cancerous cells can travel to other parts of the body to form deposits there (metastasis).
Some factors that can increase your risk for colon cancer include older age, being African American, 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, diabetes, obesity, smoking, alcohol, and radiation therapy for cancer.
Doctors recommend that people with an average risk of colon cancer consider colon cancer screening around age 50. But people with an increased risk due to family history should begin screenings earlier.
Some steps you can take to decrease your risk of colon cancer include eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (fruits, veggies, and whole grains contain vitamins and minerals which may be helpful in warding off cancer); drink alcohol in moderation, if at all; stop smoking; exercise regularly; and maintain a healthy weight.
To diagnose colon cancer, your doctor may recommend a colonoscopy, which uses a scope to examine the inside of your colon. Blood tests may be ordered to check out your overall health, particularly your kidneys and liver. Your physician may test your blood for a chemical produced by colon cancers (carcinoembryonic antigen, or CEA). The level of CEA in your blood may help your doctor to understand your prognosis and whether or not your cancer is responding to treatment.
If you are diagnosed with cancer, your doctor may suggest tests to determine the extent (stage) of your cancer and to determine what treatment is appropriate for you. Staging tests may include imaging procedures such as abdominal, pelvic, and chest CT scans. In many cases, your stage of cancer may not be determined until after colon cancer surgery. The stages are numbered from 0 to IV, with IV being the most severe.
As far as treatment goes, that is based on your particular situation, including the location of your cancer, its stage and other health concerns. Treatment for colon cancer usually involves surgery to remove it. Other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy might also be recommended.
If the cancer is small, localized, completely contained within a polyp, in an early stage, your doctor may be able to remove it through a colonoscopy (polypectomy). Larger polyps might be removed during a colonoscopy using special tools to remove the polyp and a small amount of inner lining of the colon in a procedure called endoscopic mucosal resection. Polyps that can’t be removed through a colonoscopy may be removed through laparoscopic surgery where small incisions are made in the abdominal wall, inserting instruments with attached cameras that display your colon on a video monitor.
If your cancer has grown into or through your colon, your physician may recommend a partial colectomy where part of your colon that contains the cancer is removed along with a margin of normal tissue on either side of the cancer. Another option is an ostomy which involves creating an opening in the wall of your abdomen from a portion of the remaining bowel for the elimination of stool in a bag that fits securely over the opening. Sometimes the ostomy is only temporary, allowing the colon or rectum time to heal after surgery. In some cases, the colostomy is permanent.
Other times, the lymph nodes are usually removed during colon cancer surgery and tested for cancer.
If your cancer is advanced, your doctor may recommend an operation to relieve a blockage of your colon or other conditions in order to improve your symptoms. This surgery isn’t done to cure the cancer but to relieve symptoms.
In cases where the cancer has spread only to the liver or lung but your overall health is good, your doctor may recommend surgery or other localized treatments to remove the cancer. Chemotherapy may be used before or after this procedure. This approach provides a way to be cancer free on a long term basis.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for colon cancer is usually given after surgery if the cancer is larger or has spread to the lymph nodes. In this way, chemotherapy may kill any cancer cells that remain in the body and help reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
Chemotherapy might also be used before surgery to shrink a large cancer so that it is easier to remove.
Chemotherapy can be used to relieve symptoms of colon cancer that can’t be removed with surgery or has spread to other areas of the body. Sometimes it is combined with radiation therapy.
For some people with low-risk stage III colon cancer, a shorter course of chemotherapy after surgery may be possible. This approach may reduce the side effects compared with the traditional course of chemotherapy and may be just as effective.
Radiation therapy uses powerful energy sources, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. It might be used to shrink a large cancer before an operation so it can be removed more easily.
When surgery isn’t an option, radiation therapy can be used to relieve symptoms such as pain. Sometimes radiation therapy can be combined with chemotherapy.
Targeted drug therapy are reserved for people with advanced colon cancers. Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, these treatments can cause cancer cells to die.
Immunotherapy is a drug treatment that uses your immune system to fight cancer. Your body’s disease-fighting immune system may not attack your cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that blind the immune system cells from recognizing the cancer cells. Immunotherapy works by putting a wrench in that process.
Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and other specially trained professionals to provide a support system that complements your ongoing care. Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. Palliative care teams aim to improve the quality of life for people with cancer and their families. This type of care is offered alongside curative or other treatments you may be receiving. People with cancer live longer and may feel better when palliative care is used along with other appropriate treatments.
Life can be challenging with a cancer diagnosis so it is important to surround yourself with people who you can count on both medically and personally. Take time to nourish your body and mind during this stressful event. Talk to your doctor about the appropriate course of treatment that is right for you.
