Cancers of the Colon, Rectum
and Anus - The digestive tract is
the part of the body that digests
foodstuff - extracting nutrients,
electrolytes and water - for the
body to use. The colon and rectum
make up part of the digestive
system. After extracting what the
body can use (in the colon) stool is
passed on to the rectum (the last
place before being dispelled). The
anus is the orifice (hole) that is
used to expel stool to the outside.
Cancer occurs when cells that line
the wall of the colon or rectum
transform into what are referred to
as adenocarcinomas. These cancer
cells usually begin in abnormal
growths - referred to as polyps
(also called adenoma). Over one
third of the approximate 150 000
patients diagnosed each year - will
die in the United States. Treatments
and early detection have
dramatically reduced the death rate
of this cancer in the last two
decades.
Diagnosis - diagnosis is done via
screening (for patients that do not
have symptoms) and testing for those
that do have symptoms. For patients
that do not have symptoms screening
by imaging using successive images
(over a period of years) is used to
detect changes or growths. For
patients that have symptoms - these
usually include:
-
going to the bathroom less often
-
thinner than usual stool
-
stomach bloating and cramps
-
blood (bright red) in stools
-
unexplained weight loss
-
feelings of tiredness
-
trouble going to the bathroom
-
nausea
-
more gas than usual
- a doctor may prescribe: barium
enema, sigmoidoscopy (A direct
visualization of the colon and
rectum with a flexible tube called
sigmoidoscope), or a colonoscopy.
Tests may include checking the stool
for blood. If the doctor finds
abnormal growths, the growth can be
checked out by having a biopsy done
and then to have it analyzed in a
lab.
Treatment - The treatment
recommended by most doctors is
surgery - removal of the affected
part. A small percentage of patients
undergoing surgical removal
(approximately 15%) require a
colostomy (pulling a section of the
large intestine out of the abdomen
to allow for stools to pass out
directly to the outside).
Chemotherapy can also be done using
a combination of drugs designed to
treat the cancer or block it.
Immunotherapy (getting your own body
to launch an immune reaction to the
disease) or radiological therapy
(directing radiation at the tumor)
have also been successful in
fighting this type of cancer.
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