Colon Cancer

Overview

The colon is a vital part of the digestive system that helps in storing your waste materials. The rectum is present at the end of the colon and it lies adjacent to the anus. All together, they form a long, muscular tube called the large intestine in your body. Colon cancer, as the name suggests, is cancer of the colon, or the large intestine in your body. Colon cancer and rectal cancer are interrelated, because rectal cancer affects the bottom six inches, which is your colon. Together these two cancers are often referred to as colorectal cancer and there are around 112,000 people being diagnosed with colon cancer every year. Most colon cancer cases actually begin as a non-cancerous or benign clump of cells or polyps that develop over time and eventually lead to colon cancer. Polyps by themselves produce very few symptoms, so the beginning stages of colon cancer can be difficult to diagnose.

Types

Colon cancer is classified into many types based on their place of origin and they are:

Adenocarcinoma: This is the most common type of colon cancer and it originates in glands. With this type of cancer, the prevalence rate is comparatively higher ranging 90-95 percent of all colorectal cancers.
Leiomyosarcomas: The leiomyosarcomas is a type of colon cancer that occurs in the smooth muscle of the colon. Leiomyosarcomas has a less occurrence rate and has a high-chance of metastasizing.
Lymphomas: This is a rare type of cancer and the place of origin is the rectum, rather than in the colon.
Melanomas: Melanomas is a very rare type of colon cancer. The origin is somewhere else and then spread to the colon or rectum.

Symptoms

Colon cancer produces numerous symptoms and is non-specific. In early stages, colon cancer does not produce many symptoms. When symptoms appear, they will not only vary on the location of the cancer within the large intestine, but also on the size of the tumor. Some of the signs and symptoms that are associated with colon cancer include:

Bleeding of the rectum or blood present in your stool
Fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath
Persistent discomfort in the abdomen, such as gas, cramps or persistent pain
Abdominal pain during a bowel movement
A change in your normal bowel habits, including constipation or diarrhea
Diverticulitis and peptic ulcer disease and much more.

Causes/Risk Factors

Generally speaking, colon cancer occurs when healthy cells in the intestines become altered. When the growth of cells gets out of control, the result is often the growth of pre-cancerous cells that can become cancerous over time. In the later stages of this disease, colon cancer is capable of metastasizing or spreading to other organs, as well as nearby lymph nodes. As with many types of cancer in existence today, the exact cause for the development of colon cancer is currently unknown. High fat intake, a heredity background of colorectal cancer and polyps, the presence of polyps in the large intestine and chronic ulcerative colitis are considered risk factors of colorectal cancer.

Tests and Diagnosis

You can detect the presence of colon cancer using a lower GI series x-ray or colonoscopy that helps to locate the tumor. Other common diagnostic and screening procedures for colon cancer, or the adenomatous polyps that cause colon cancer, include stool blood tests, stool DNA test, flexible sigmoidoscopy and a virtual colonoscopy or CT colonography. If a tumor is confirmed during a colonoscopy, get a biopsy. If colon cancer is confirmed by a biopsy test, staging examination is carried in order to find whether the cancer has already spread to the nearby organs. Because colorectal cancer is capable of spreading to the lungs and the liver, staging tests usually include chest x-rays, ultrasonography or a CAT scan.

Treatment

If you have colon cancer, the type of treatment that you will undergo is largely going to depend on the location of the cancer, the size of the cancer and also what stage you are currently in. There are three primary treatment options for colon cancer, which are chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. The main treatment for dealing with colorectal cancer is surgery and the operation itself is known as a colostomy, which involves removing a piece of your colon in order to completely remove the cancer.