The Digestive System Killer

There are signs that might be heeded as to whether cancer of the colon or large intestine is present or a condition that might lead to it, might be present in the body. In general, any persistent change in bowel habits shall alert you. Diarrhoea or constipation that would not go away after about a week, despite the use of medication; stools that are narrower than usual, which could occur whether a growth is blocking or narrowing any part of the colon or rectum are not sure indicators of Colorectal cancer, but might indicate a problem and also the sooner you find out exactly what these changes mean, the better your own chances would be in dealing with them.

One indication that you might have cancer of the colon might turn up when a routine test for invisible traces of blood in the faeces is positive. Bear in mind that many other conditions besides cancer could lead to the presence of small amounts of blood in the faeces; these conditions could include haemorrhoids (piles), non-cancerous tumours or infections. A routine physical examination by a doctor shall be done even when no Colorectal cancer is suspected. After a general inspection, he might refer you to a specialist who would use an instrument called a sigmoidscope to examine the rectum and also lower part of the sigmoid colon in more detail. whether a Colorectal cancer growth is detected, the specialist, perhaps in collaboration with a surgeon, would outline a course of treatment. The choice of therapy would be based on the size of the growth, on how much of the colon is affected and also whether the cancer has spread to other areas.

Like many other cancers, there are three basic ways in which Colorectal cancer could be treated: with surgery, radiotherapy or with anticancer drugs, or with a combination of these three approaches. The treatment would depend on where the Colorectal cancer is situated, on its size and also on whether it has invaded the wall of the colon or areas beyond it.