It is surprising that colorectal cancer stands among first five cancers affecting mankind. The colon and rectum are the muscular tubes carrying wastes outside. The cancer starts in the glandular cells of colon and rectum. It leads to undue multiplication of cancer cells thus leading to malignancy. It usually affects people after 50 years of age and family history does lead to this cancer in siblings and off springs. As with many other diseases, obesity, diabetes, smoking, heavy alcoholism, lack of exercise etc are also contributing factors to this cancer.
Colorectal cancer has been found to cause about 655,000 deaths every year over the world. Starting as benign mushroom like growths, colorectal cancer may develop over time. The symptoms of the disease are generally very vague and start manifesting with weight loss and fatigue. They go on to change the patient’s bowel habits along with the feeling of incomplete defecation, blood and mucus in stool and reduction in stool diameter. It causes obstruction in the bowel and causes the stomach to bloat up. Often patients vomit out stool like material. Patients also suffer from fatigue, anaemia and palpitations, causing blood in the urine or air in the excreta. The vagina in case of women, at times goes dry due to such a disease.
Most of the times, colorectal cancer fails to give rise to any symptoms till in advanced stages. That’s why the diagnosis is missed most of the times. However one should pay heed to the warning symptoms like blood in stool, alternate constipation and diarrhoea, frequent gaseous distension of abdomen, fullness of abdomen that is not relieved by anything, sudden weight loss, weariness etc. A faecal occult blood test and colonoscopy will diagnose the condition. Often tumours are felt in the abdominal regions of the patient by doctors and are one of the preliminary ways of diagnosis.
You should be aware of the family history. If you have close relatives in the family who have fallen prey to cancer before, the minutest of signs should be diagnosed before any further step is taken, even if the step is to ignore the symptom.
Depending upon the grade of cancer and spread, treatment options for colorectal cancers are based. Surgery to remove polyps and masses in earlier stages often help. However in little advanced stages, chemotherapy and radiation are given. Many colorectal help groups have been formed recently and you can get quality information by surfing on the net. Cancer is one of those diseases which in most of the cases cannot be cured.
So, it is better to avoid stuff that might increase the risks of cancer. Obviously, preventing oneself from this cancer is possible with change in lifestyle and imbibing habits of nutritious foods and exercise. Alcohol and tobacco are two twins that increase the risks of malignancy. So consumption of alcohol and smoking should be kept in as much control as possible. Definitely we all would like to opt for prevention than cure, is it not?
