Bowel cancer symptoms

Any oncological diseases associated with intestinal problems are always specific and dangerous in nature. It will focus on one of the most common and insidious of them – colorectal cancer. Our expert, surgeon of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences, doctor of the Department of Oncocoloproctology Leonid Borisovich Ginzburg He spoke in detail about the symptoms of this oncological disease, about the methods of its treatment and diagnosis.

“The first group, of course, is related to the way of life that we lead, how we work, how much time we rest, sleep, when we have children, get married or get married. For example, as one wise old professor said, “The best way to prevent breast cancer is to get married and have two children on time.” The second refers to the nature of the diet, the third is carcinogenic factors (nicotine, tar, dust, excessive exposure to the sun, chemical reagents, for example, washing powder) And we classify heredity in the fourth group. The first three groups of causes mentioned above account for about 30 percent of the causes of cancer. Heredity is only 10%. So basically everything depends on ourselves! True, here it is necessary to consider each specific case separately ”.

“It is safe to say that the presence of carcinogenic factors dramatically increases the risk of cancer. Exposure to the body of physical carcinogens associated with insolation, excessive exposure to the sun, often causes cancer. And chemical carcinogens, for example, nicotine, in many cases lead to the formation of malignant tumors of the lung, larynx, mouth, lower lip. “

“If we take, for example, specifically colorectal cancer, then in this case, a larger percentage is assigned to the nutritional factor. Excessive consumption of meat, fast food, animal fats, fatty, fried, smoked food, as practice shows, dramatically increase the risk of the above disease. The consumption of vegetables, fruits, herbs, fiber, prevailing in the daily menu, is the most reasonable preventive measure, which greatly reduces the development of colorectal cancer. “

“One of the important factors in the occurrence of colorectal cancer is the presence of various precancerous diseases. These include, for example, colon polyps, chronic diseases of the colon … Prevention measures in this case are timely treatment. If, say, a person has regular constipation, then one thing can be said: this condition increases the risk of colorectal cancer. And the treatment in this case of the pathology that causes constipation reduces the risk of cancer. In addition, in chronic diseases of the large intestine, it is advisable to carry out various diagnostic procedures more often than to other people in order to identify possible cancer at an early stage. Let’s say all patients with colon polyposis are advised to undergo a colonoscopy once a year. If the polyp has just begun to degenerate into a malignant tumor, then it can be easily removed. This will be a minor intervention that is tolerated for the patient as a conventional fibrocolonoscopy. Anyone who has symptoms that may indicate colorectal cancer should consult a doctor in a timely manner. “

“So, the main signs are the admixture of blood and mucus in the feces, a change in the nature of the stool, the appearance or alternation of diarrhea and constipation, cramping abdominal pain. But all these symptoms are not specific. And in 99 percent of cases, patients who come with similar complaints will be diagnosed with some other pathology of the large intestine. It can be irritable bowel syndrome or chronic colitis, hemorrhoids, anal fissure, that is, not oncology. But one percent of patients will fall into the group in which we can diagnose cancer. And the sooner we do this, the more successful the subsequent treatment will be. Especially in case of colorectal cancer, the treatment of which, in comparison with many other cancers, has achieved more serious and significant success. “

“The best diagnostic method is colonoscopy with fibroscopy. But this procedure is, to put it mildly, unpleasant, so it is possible to carry it out under anesthesia. For those who are categorically against performing this study for one reason or another, there is an alternative – a virtual colonoscopy, which is the following: the patient undergoes computed tomography of the abdominal cavity with the simultaneous introduction of air or a contrast agent into the large intestine. But, unfortunately, this method has a low threshold of sensitivity. Virtual colonoscopy cannot diagnose small polyps or early stages of cancer. In the treatment of colorectal cancer, as well as other cancers, three main methods are used: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. For colorectal cancer, the main method of treatment is surgery, and then, depending on the stage of the disease, chemotherapy or radiation therapy is possible. However, some forms of rectal cancer can be completely cured with radiation therapy alone. ”

“Colorectal cancer occurs more often (equally in men and women) in patients over 40 years of age. However, according to available statistics, young people between the ages of twenty and thirty are often among the sick. Symptoms of oncological diseases are quite nonspecific, for example, blood in the feces can be not only with rectal cancer, but also with a fissure of the anus, hemorrhoids, colitis. Even a highly qualified doctor with extensive work experience will not always be able to figure this out without additional examination methods. Therefore, you should not spend hours on the Internet trying to diagnose any disease yourself. Such attempts only aggravate the condition and delay timely and successful treatment. If any complaints appear, you should contact a specialist who will prescribe a diagnostic study and tell you what the patient is sick with. “