Colon Cancer Treatment

Colon cancer is a major problem, which affects men and women. It mostly occurs in rectum or colon. People suffering from this serious disease must seek medical help. Now, I am going to describe the brief overview of colon cancer with its types and symptoms so that you understand them and take medical advice from the doctor. 

About Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a problem occuring in the large intestine of a body. It is also known as colorectal or bowel cancer. This common problem happens at any age, which involves different treatments such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy etc. 

Types of Colon Cancer

There are different types of colon cancer. These include the following: 

• Adenocarcinoma: It is a cancer that affects different organs in men and women. This problem occurs in mucus-producing glands. 

• Lymphomas: A colon cancer which affects immune system cells is lymphomas. This problem mostly occurs in lymph nodes. 

• Sarcomas: Sarcomas is a malignant tumor that occurs in muscle, bones, cartilage and other connective tissues. 

• GastroIntestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs): A cancer  mainly occurs in nerve cells of gastrointestinal tract wall GISTs. This problem mostly happens in the stomach and small intestine. 

Colon Cancer symptoms

The symptoms of colon cancer are as follows:  

• Nausea and Vomiting      

A colon or rectal cancer blocks the large intestine and causes nausea and vomiting in individuals. This problem also leads to chronic constipation. If people are suffering from this symptom, then they must seek medical help.       

• Abdominal pain and Bloating     

Pain in abdomen or stomach bloating is a sign and symptom occurs due to colon cancer. A person takes medical help for treating this symptom.       

• Unexplained Weight loss      

 A person must not lose his or her weight without any reason because a body uses energy to fight with cancer.      

• Pelvic pain      

 The occurrence of pelvic pain leads to cancer affecting the pelvic area of the body. This problem is severe for patients suffering from rectal or colon cancer.     

• Rectal Bleeding      

 A bleeding in rectum or colon may be a sign and symptom of colon cancer. It also occurs due to hemorrhoids.      

• Anemia     

Anemia is a blood disorder that occurs when your body does not have hemoglobin. Intestinal bleeding causes this problem when suffering from colon or rectal cancer. This disorder consists of different symptoms such as fatigue, increased heart rate etc.       

• Blood in Stool     

Blood can be red or dark, tarry stools which may be a sign and symptom of colon cancer. The bleeding can be invisible in your skin but can be detected during stool tests. 

How to treat Colon Cancer?

Colon cancer can be treated in the following ways:

• Quit Smoking

Smoking leads to many problems for individuals, which include colon cancer also. It is better to quit smoking which lowers the chances of this problem. 

• Eat a Balanced Diet

Diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is helpful for your health. Avoid eating high amounts of red and processed meat, which increases the risk of colon cancer. 

• Regular Exercises

The regular exercises are most important for overall health. This helps in reducing your symptoms due to colon cancer. 

• Limitation of Alcohol

Colon cancer becomes risky when alcohol is consumed in excess amounts. Therefore, a person must drink alcohol in moderation. 

• Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity or being overweight makes colon cancer risky for men and women. They must stay healthy which helps in lowering its risk. 

Common Treatments of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer involves many treatments, which are as follows:

• Surgery

The aim of surgery is to remove tumors and other body tissues. It is a primary treatment of this problem. 

• Chemotherapy

A strong medicine which kills cancer cells in patients in chemotherapy. It is another option after surgery. This therapy is used for treating large cancer or cancer which affects the lymph nodes. It relieves the symptoms of colon cancer, which is not possible after surgery. 

• Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by powerful energy beams. This therapy treats a large cancer in patients. It helps in relieving colon cancer symptoms such as pain. 

• Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a common treatment with medicine that helps in fighting the immune system by attacking germs and other cancer cells in the body. This treatment is mainly useful for advanced colon cancer. 

• Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy blocks certain chemicals with the help of medicine. It helps to kill cancer cells and prevent colon cancer in patients. This therapy combines with immunotherapy and is useful in treatment of advanced colon cancer. 

• Screening tests 

The screening tests are very important for early detection of colon cancer. This treatment is useful in those people at 45 years of age or below. 

Doctors use colonoscopy for examining the tumor in the body. If any affected area is found then they use biopsy for diagnostic tests. 

• Medical History and Physical Exam

Doctors will ask patients about the risk factors, symptoms and medical history of colon cancer. They also perform physical exams for the treatment. 

• Imaging tests

Doctors use PET, CT or MRI scans for determining the extent of a cancer, whether it is spread to other body parts.