Colon cancer – first symptoms, causes, inheritance

Proven content

Colorectal cancer is considered to be one of the more insidious cancers because it often develops completely asymptomatically. It can take up to ten years for bowel cancer to attack sharply. That is why it is so important to perform checkups, because they allow to detect the cancer at an early stage, when there is a very good chance of curing it.

Colorectal cancer – definition

Colorectal cancer is a very insidious disease that may not cause any characteristic symptoms for a long time. Usually, cancer develops as a result of involuntary cell growth in a specific part of the large intestine, such as the caecum or rectum and the descendant colon. However, the most common is the so-called colorectal adenocarcinoma.

The disease in the form of colorectal cancer affects men more often than women, and the highest number of cases occurs after the age of 60. In Poland, bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths. The incidence of this disease is constantly increasing, and this is related to the change in eating habits.

1. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Poland. «When symptoms appear, there is little the doctor can do»

The causes of colon cancer

The most common factors that increase the risk of cancer are:

1. heredity (the risk is much higher if you have a family history of colorectal cancer)
2. age,
3. presence of adenomas in the large intestine,
4. inflammation of the large intestine (ulcerative),
5. Crohn’s disease,
6. smoking,
7. eating a lot of meat and fats and too little fiber,
8. obesity,
9. patients treated in the past for colorectal cancer.

In Poland, due to the large number of cases of colorectal cancer, preventive examinations were introduced, which should be performed by people over 50 years of age. They include colonoscopy, which allows for the detection of possible changes at an early stage of development and the implementation of appropriate treatment.

Neoplastic diseases require professional diagnostics. The diagnostic test package for women allows to detect not only cancers of the digestive system, but also ovarian, breast and pancreatic cancer, among others.

Additionally, we highlight two groups of colorectal cancer cases:

1. sporadic – not related to inheritance (most cases are related to this group),
2. family – related to the mutation of specific genes or an increased risk of disease in a given family (the number of cases in this group usually does not exceed 30% of all cases).

Symptoms of colon cancer

Colorectal cancer can develop in any part of it, but more than 70 percent. these tumors develop in the rectum, where the tumors are quite easily palpable by the rectal method. Cancer may have slightly different symptoms depending on its location, it should be of concern:

1. blood on stools or occult bleeding into the lumen of the large intestine leading to anemia,
2. feeling of incomplete bowel movements,
3. a change in the nature of your bowel movements, from constipation to diarrhea or vice versa
4. pencil-like stools
5. nausea, 
6. persistent diarrhea,
7. palpable tumor in the abdomen,
8. repeated rectal bleeding
9. severe pain in the abdomen, with gas and stool retention, indicating obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract,
10. strong abdominal cramps,
11. pressure on the stool and inability to pass it, 
12. weight loss, weakness and lack of appetite – symptoms occurring in the advanced stages of the disease. 

Do you have any of the above symptoms? Are you worried you may have colon cancer? Make an online teleconsultation with an internist. There you will get answers to basic questions and find out what further steps you should take.

Colorectal cancer diagnosis

In the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, a number of tests are used to make the final diagnosis. The choice of a specific method influences the doctor’s decision to apply specific tests and their order. The following methods are used in diagnostics.

1. Per rectum examination (literally – through the rectum) – is one of the basic diagnostic methods. The doctor uses a finger to examine the condition of the intestine, which makes it possible to detect the sources of bleeding and neoplastic nodules. Each patient, even without any ailments, should demand such an examination, because it allows the detection of almost one third of colon cancers.

2. Contrast infusion – consists in taking a series of radiographs of the large intestine after administering liquid contrast to the intestine and filling it with air.

3. Colonoscopy – is an examination performed with the use of an endoscope, which is inserted into the patient’s body through the anus. Thanks to this method, it is possible to accurately visualize the entire large intestine (up to the Bauhin valve that connects the large intestine with the small intestine). Sometimes, during colonoscopy, a section of the suspicious lesion is taken for histopathological examination. In addition, thanks to the inserted endoscope, it is possible to stop bleeding or to insert a stent to reduce tumor-induced obstruction.

We recommend the colon cancer screening available on Medonet Market. The waiting time for the result is 7 business days. An early diagnosis gives a chance for a complete recovery.

4. Rectoscopy – in short, it is an endoscopy of the rectum, which involves inserting a rigid optical apparatus into the anus. Thanks to rectoscopy, it is possible to visualize the final segment of the large intestine and (if necessary) to take a section of the suspicious lesion for examination. This method can be performed without anesthesia as it is usually not painful.

5. Virtual colonoscopy – is a method that involves the administration of air into the lumen of the large intestine through the rectum, followed by computed tomography. Thanks to this examination, it is possible to obtain a three-dimensional image of the large intestine.

6. Testing the CEA antigen in the blood – the blood test measures markers characteristic of colorectal cancer. This method is very often used as an observation in patients after cancer treatment of the large intestine (it helps to determine whether a possible recurrence of the disease has occurred). The CEA blood test is included in the test package offered by the Polmed medical center and by uPatient in packages intended separately for women (Cancer – risk assessment for women) and men (Oncology package for men – diagnostic tests).

7. Stool occult blood test – a method that allows to determine whether there is blood in the stool invisible to the naked eye. Current fecal occult blood tests do not require a strict diet prior to testing. You can buy a fecal occult blood test from Medonet Market. You can do them without leaving your home. Also try the Home Test for Fecal Occult Blood – FOB TEST from the Home Lab. The test can be ordered separately or in the Stomach home test kit along with the Helicobacter pylori test.

It is also worth performing a mail-order test for the concentration of calprotectin in the feces, the high level of which indicates acute inflammation of the intestine.

Treatment of colon cancer

The choice of colorectal cancer treatment depends on the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. Of course, as with any neoplasm, surgery is considered the basis here. It is worth mentioning that the procedure is not always possible and sometimes its performance should be postponed.

The presence of a small tumor in the form of a small polyp is an indication for excision of the lesion itself, without a fragment of the intestine. This can be performed by laparoscopy or endoscopy depending on where the lesion is located. However, in most patients it is necessary to remove the tumor along with the intestine. Then the operation is performed under general anesthesia by making an incision on the skin of the abdomen.

Types of standard operations:

1. right hemicolectomy – performed when the cancer is located in the right part of the large intestine (e.g. cecum, ascending colon),
2. left-sided hemicolectomy – performed in the case of changes in the left part of the transverse and the upper part of the sigmoid colon,
3. excision of the lower part of the sigmoid colon along with the rectum – a procedure performed in the course of rectal tumors.

Doctors have been trying to cut sections of the large intestine with a laparoscope for some time, but this is not standard practice in all hospitals. The decision to perform a laparoscopic procedure depends primarily on the location and size of the tumor and coexisting diseases. It should be emphasized that having the appropriate equipment and trained personnel does not mean that all colon operations will be performed laparoscopically.

Multiple organ surgery may be necessary in patients with very advanced colorectal cancer. The indication for such surgery is the infiltration of the neoplasm on the neighboring organs, which makes it impossible to remove it completely without disturbing (partial excision) of the affected organ, e.g. the spleen, stomach or bladder.

In addition, in addition to surgical procedures, the following is implemented:

1. Chemotherapy – Both before and after surgery, using chemotherapy before surgery is designed to reduce the size of the tumor so that it can be much easier to remove. On the other hand, the introduction of chemotherapy after surgery is expected to improve the patient’s survival by destroying the tumor cells circulating in the body;
2. Radiation therapy – this is irradiation, which is very often used in the treatment of rectal cancer. Like chemotherapy, it can be used before (more often) and after surgery. Irradiation, in addition to destroying cancer cells, can alleviate the patient’s pain.

Recently, you can hear a lot about Fr. molecular therapywhich makes it possible to recognize cancer cells and destroy them without affecting healthy cells. However, these types of preparations are currently used as an adjunct to the standard treatments mentioned above.

During and after treatment, it is worth supporting the body’s immunity and efficiency by using appropriate supplementation. We recommend OncoLife Defense Bioactive Complex – Doctor Life dietary supplement, which improves the functioning of the immune system and supports the body in convalescence.

Familial occurrence of colorectal cancer

Over 80 percent colorectal cancer is not related to a family history. The remaining percentage of patients are people who have a family history, i.e. there are people in their family who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. About 1 percent tumors are caused by a mutation in the APC gene, which causes familial polyposis.

In family members at high risk of colorectal cancer, preventive treatment and observation are sometimes used. If your family has a history of cancer, make an appointment with an oncologist. The specialist will order appropriate tests to exclude the possibility of cancer.

Colon cancer prevention

In the prevention of colorectal cancer, there are factors that when implemented reduce the risk of disease (but not completely!). Practical advice includes:

1. regular physical activity (e.g. walking, swimming pool),
2. consuming fewer calories
3. alcohol restriction,
4. restriction of animal fats in the diet,
5. introducing more fresh vegetables and fruits into the diet.

People over 50 years of age should remember about:

1. performing periodic tests,
2. performing a colonoscopy every ten years,
3. performing a contrast test of the large intestine every five years,
4. performing fecal occult blood tests (annually).

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