The digestive system ends with the colon or large intestine. Colon cancer usually affects older adults, but it can happen at any age. The development of colon cancer begins with colon polyps and tiny cell groupings. Many polyps are harmless, but others can develop into colon cancer.
Symptoms of Colon Cancer
- Recent onset worsening constipation
- Spurious diarrhoea (episodes of diarrhea or constipation)
- Blood in the stool or rectal bleeding
- Abdominal discomfort, including cramps, gas, or pain.
- A feeling of incomplete defecation.
- Fatigue
- Unintentional weight loss.
- Bloated abdomen
- Vomiting
Diagnostic evaluation
Your doctor will conduct a thorough physical examination and inquire about personal and family medical backgrounds. One of the common techniques is
- Colonoscopy
A colonoscopy is a procedure where a long, flexible tube with a camera on one end is inserted into the rectum to examine the colon’s interior
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy,:- This method has a smaller scope in comparison to a colonoscopy. In certain situations, a full colonoscopy may be unnecessary if a sigmoidoscopy does not find any polyps or if they are confined to a small area.
- CT Scan of the abdomen :- To evaluate the local extent and identify distant spread of disease if any
- PET Scan – This is done to study the extent of disease, i,e spread of disease in other organs of the body.
- Tumour Marker – Serum levels of CEA are elevated in 70% of patience and levels can help in monterting response to treatment during follow ups.
Treatment Options
Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are used in isolation or combination in treating colon cancers. A multidisciplinary team decides the treatment plan depending on the stage of disease, age, general condition of patient, and comorbidities. In colon cancers that show no spread of the disease, the basic goals of treatment are to eliminate cancer, prevent its spread, and ease symptoms.
Dr. Srikanth……
If you want to know more about Colon cancer you can call and book an appointment at 8880837000 or 98801105829
