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Colon Cancer: Diagnosis And Treatment

Cancer developing in the colon is known as colon cancer. A colon is the final segment of the digestive tract.

Although it can happen at any age, colon cancer typically affects older adults. It starts with the formation of small, noncancerous clumps of cells called polyps. These polyps become cancerous over time.

Polyps are small, and they rarely produce any symptoms. Therefore doctors recommend regular screening to identify and remove any polyps before they become cancerous.

In case these polyps become cancerous, there are many treatments available, including radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and surgery.

Colon cancer may be termed as colorectal cancer if cancer spreads to the rectum.

Diagnosis

Colon cancer generally doesn’t show any symptoms in the early stages. It is, therefore, necessary for healthy people to get regular cancer screenings. Finding cancer at an early stage increases chances for a cure without any invasive treatment.

There are different options available for colon cancer diagnosis. You can discuss with your doctor which diagnostic procedure is best for you. Generally, colonoscopy can help to find any polyps in the colon. It paves way for the convenient removal of those polyps. This procedure uses a long and flexible tube, which has a camera attached to its one end. This diagnostic technique can also collect samples from the affected area.

Your doctor may take some blood tests. Blood tests do not tell that you have cancer, but your doctor may want to take it to inspect the overall health of your kidneys and liver.

Colon cancer can produce chemicals, such as a carcinoembryonic antigen, or CEA. The presence of these chemicals in blood can also indicate the presence of colon cancer.

After diagnosing cancer, your doctor will run a few tests to know the extent of cancer. It is also called the staging of cancer. It can help determine what treatments are appropriate for you. This procedure generally involves CT scans of the chest, pelvic, and abdomen.

Treatment

The doctor will analyze your condition to determine which treatment options are appropriate for you. This analysis will include identifying the location of your cancer, its stage, and other health issues. Colon cancer treatment generally involves surgery, which aims at removing cancer-affected cells.

Here are a few things that you may want to keep in mind regarding surgery for the removal of cancer at an early stage.

  • If cancer is small and restricted only to the small polyps, the doctor may be able to remove it during colonoscopy.

  • If the polyps are enlarged, the doctor or surgeon may want to use special tools to remove the polyps along with the inner lining of the colon.

  • Minimally invasive surgery may become necessary if colonoscopy is unable to remove polyps. The procedure used in this regard is known as laparoscopic surgery. The surgeon may make several small incisions in the abdomen to access the affected segment of the colon. He or she will then take samples of lymph nodes to identify and treat the affected area.

For more advanced colon cancer, the surgeon may opt for the following options.

  • The surgeon may choose to perform colectomy, which refers to the removal of the affected area of the colon. The surgeon will then connect the healthy ends of the colon.

  • If the rectum and anus are unable to function, the surgeon may pull the healthy end of the colon through a cut in the belly to create a stoma. This way, you will need to wear an ostomy bag to manage your stool evacuations. This procedure is known as ostomy surgery.

Other procedures involved in colon cancer treatment include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy. You may want to discuss with your doctor your treatment options.