Signs and Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Colon Cancer is an extremely dangerous and difficult to detect form of cancer. It can grow for years without displaying any signs. However, Colon Cancer does display various symptoms and it is necessary for people to go visit a doctor once they see these. Symptoms of Colon Cancer include;

• Constipation; Constipation is the body’s natural mechanism of suggesting a fault in the diet. Colon Cancer can also manifest itself in this form because the tumors can cause significant obstruction in the colon. The solidity of stool makes it difficult for it to pass when this happens.

• Thin Stool; Colon Cancer can also the stool to reshape. The obstruction caused squeezes the stool so that it comes out in a much thinner form than regularly.

• Stomach cramps; The obstruction in Colon also affects the flow of gases from the bowels. The consequent build up of waste material leads to abdominal cramps. A more serious form of stomach cramps is when the cancer perforates through the bowel walls. Such an occurrence is a medical emergency.

• Blood in stool; Tumors tend to bleed. Therefore blood in the stool can be a symptom. If the cancer is at the start of the colon, the blood may be dry but if it’s at the end of the rectum, it turns out bright red.

• Unexplained weight loss; Tumors can also release chemicals which may increase metabolism which results in weight loss. Therefore unexplained weight loss may be a sign of colon cancer.

• Sense of fullness; If the Colon cancer occurs towards the end of the rectum, the body might mistake it for waste and thus a person might still not feel hungry.

• Nausea and vomiting; The harmful gases released by tumors can result in nausea and vomiting as well.

• Anemia; The bleeding caused by tumors results deficiency of iron. This may become acute with time since tumors at the start of Colon may not even be detected as the blood may get dried up before stool leaves the body. Thus anemia may also be a symptom of Colon Cancer.

It should be noted that all these symptoms are only a reference point and may even not be easily identified in the initial stages of Colon Cancer. The best precaution is to get regular check ups.

Stages of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is among the most common and serious forms of cancer in the world. Its high rate of incidence and the fact that people remain unaware of the precautionary measures needed makes it a very dangerous ailment. Its rate of incidence starts by the age of 40 and increases multifold after 65. Although predominantly associated with men, Colon cancer affects both men and women. Colon Cancer has 4 distinct stages with a fifth stage referred to as the “recurring stage”. Treatment for each of these is specific to the degree of ailment with a five-year rate of survival.

Stage 1: In stage 1, the Colon cancer has made the polyp, or the outgrowth, develop into a tumor and grow into the wall of the Colon or rectum. Treatment requires the removal of the tumor and thus the most common form is surgery, called a resection, in which the tumor and a section of the colon is removed. The five-year survival rate in this stage is 95 %.
Stage 2: In Stage 2 of Colon Cancer, the disease has spread from the Colon to tissue surrounding the Colon. This spreading is referred to as ‘Metastasis’ and can be treated by surgery. However, the survival rate drops significantly to 60 %.
Stage 3: When Colon cancer enters stage 3, it spreads from the surrounding tissues of the Colon to the Lymph nodes. Treatment includes surgical resection, Chemotherapy and other medical therapies. The survival rate in this stage drops to 35-60 %.
Stage 4: Colon Cancer in stage 4 enters other organs of the body such as the lungs and the liver. The treatment in this stage includes a number of forms, surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. It might also become necessary to remover other parts of the body. In this stage, there is only a 3 % chance of survival.
Recurrent stage: In the recurrent stage, Colon cancer returns after being treated successfully. It may not be necessary that it returns to the Colon however, it could occur in any other part of the body as well. It is therefore advised to maintain regular checkups even after treatment.
If found early, Colon Cancer is readily curable and patients do not necessarily, have to go through risky medical procedures. However, in later stages, Colon Cancer is the second most lethal form of Cancer after lung Cance