Monday, March 29, 2010

Colon Cancer Signs and Symptoms

Understanding what the colon is and what its functions are will help us better identify colon cancer signs. The colon is a crucial component of a human's digestive system. Human beings rely heavily on their colons to help the body absorb vital nutrients, water and minerals.

Sometimes colon cancer is also known as colorectal cancer or large bowel cancer. Colon rectal cancer means having cancerous cells growing in the colon, appendix or rectum. These adenomatous polyps growths that resemble mushroom shapes are generally benign in nature but over time have the potential to develop into deadly cancer. It is one of the top leading cause of cancer related deaths in the Western countries. Knowing whether you have cancer without being diagnosed first is almost always a challenging task, therefore it is more helpful to keep a close eye on picking up the signs or symptoms of colon rectal cancer.

Colorectal CancerLearning more about the colorectal cancer signs and familiarising yourself with the symptoms can mean quicker identification of an underlying problem and therefore increasing your chance of catching it early. Often, when cancer is caught early, the patient has a much higher chance of achieving success in its treatment. Sometimes it may feel cumbersome having to go to the doctor for something that you are not sure about but like the old saying goes, "better be safe than sorry".

Early detection of some cancer growths could sometimes mean the difference between life and death. It should not be something that is swept under the carpet and be forgotten about. Whenever cancer is involved, nothing is ever simple. It is a complicated disease.

Colon rectal cancer signs and symptoms are generally divided into localised or regional cancer (which means the cancer spread is restricted to just a confined area), constitutional (which means it is affecting the whole body) and the most serious kind metastatic (which means the cancer has actually spread to other parts or other organs in the body and this would normally imply it is now in the blood stream). Localised cancer has a much higher success rate in responding well to aggressive treatment which means the patient will stand a good chance of beating the cancer.

Colon rectal cancer signs are often mistaken for other conditions such as irritation bowel syndromes, Crohn's Disease. Significant colon rectal cancer signs can include a sudden change in your bowel habits. If you develop diarrhoea or severe constipation, or if you notice a change in the consistency of your stool for more than two weeks in a row, consult your doctor immediately. Any constipation or digestive complaints should clear within five to seven days and should not last for more than two weeks. Sometimes these discomforts or symptoms can also happen to patients with digestive tract problems, that is why it is best to consult your local doctor as soon as you notice any abnormal bowel habits to allow time for the correct diagnosis.

If you are not experiencing haemorrhoids or are not suffering from Crohn's disease and yet you have rectal bleeding or notice blood in your stool, again this could be signs of colon rectal cancer. Other signs to watch out for are persistent abdominal pain, painful stomach cramps, pain with each bowel movement, constant fatigue and chronic bloatedness.

There are many colon cancer warning signs which you need to be aware of. For colon cancer Symptoms

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_T_Adams

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

What is Colon Cancer and is it Treatable?

Most people have heard that colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the Western world. But most people don't have a good understanding of what it is or what causes it to occur. Many times in life, we learn so many complex things that the simple things we ought to remember from health class in high school seem like nothing more than a mystery to us. The problem is that quite often in our busy lives, we don't recognize symptoms and problems when they start to occur. Colon cancer is a good case in point. Simply put, the colon is the part of the digestive system that stores waste material to be excreted later through the anus via the rectum.

Colon Cancer SymptomsColon cancer is also classified as large bowel cancer or colorectal cancer, which one can infer has something to deal with the rectum. In this sense, it involves the development of cancerous tissue abnormality in the colon, thereby affecting the rectum and the appendix. These tissue abnormalities are more commonly known as adenomatous polyps which frequent the inner walls of the colon and are similar in shape to that of mushrooms. As these polyps are seen as simple in the beginning, their development into malignant abnormalities is what is regarded as colon cancer. For this reason, colonoscopies are encouraged so that there can be an early detection of these polyps and can be removed before they cause more serious problems. Importantly, researchers have found that a lot of the cancers of the colon found their origin in polyps which were left to develop untreated over time.

The most dangerous thing about this disease is the fact that it causes damage to one's tissues and organs, the building blocks of the body. In this way, the liver and lungs may also be affected, halting the important digestive system and making it hard for the individual to breathe efficiently. This metastasis late stage process is the final sign that there is no coming back from treatment and that unfortunately, the result would be death.

Certainly, from this we cannot underestimate statistical reports that conclude that over 650,000 people die per year from this cancer, with the Western societies having the most frequent cases. It rarely takes place within Africa and Asia. Leading these statistics is the United States, which considers this disease as the fourth most common form of cancer as well as the third leading cause of death relating to cancer.

Other useful information for a person interested in the topic of colon cancer is the fact that it is treatable with surgery as well as chemotherapy in the more serious cases. Now I am going to leave you with something to think about colon cancer which was not mentioned earlier to pique your interest on further reading. In this way, more precaution and action can be taken if you happen to have this deadly disease. Genes along the chain of the colon are ultimately damaged with the development of this cancer, in particular the APC gene. What do you think the effect this will have on the body as well as children of these individuals? All the more reason to get preventative screenings early and often.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with colon cancer, find out more about bowel cancer surgery and colon cancer surgery recovery on my site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_J_Bruton

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