Colon cancer
For thousands of people every year, getting the news that they might have colon cancer can be devastating. Like most cancers, colon cancer is treatable, however, if caught soon enough, so knowing and understanding the symptoms is important. There is also other data that patients can study to ensure that they are decreasing their chances of developing this heartbreaking disease.
Like most types of cancer, colon cancer develops over a long period of time. Because it is so closely associated with a person’s digestive system, diet plays a big part in this type of cancer. Following a healthy diet plan is probably one of the best ways to reduce your risk of this disease. However, for those with a strong genetic link, this may not be enough. In that case, you will want to look at other preventative measures, as well as being diligent about testing. While screening can be useful, you still need to know the risks that can be associated with normal procedures, such as colonoscopy. New, virtual screening techniques may be safer while still providing useful information to help you fight your risks. Regardless of what your circumstances are, education is the key to reducing risks of, detecting and fighting this sometime fatal disease.
Rectal Cancer 101
Each year, 150,000 people are diagnosed with rectal cancer. Talking about the bowels can be confusing, as there are different names for the same body part; for instance the colon and the large intestine. What is the difference between a rectum and an anus? As food passes through the body, it moves from mouth to esophagus, down to the stomach, into the small intestine, into the large intestine (ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon), into the rectum and out through the anus. Cancer of the rectum affects that last six inches of the colon before food is expelled. Like early colon cancer symptoms, early cancer symptoms of the rectum are also highly curable if detected before the disease worsens.
Dangers And Risks of Colonoscopy Procedures
It's indisputable that colonoscopy screening procedures save lives. If detected early, abnormal cells can be removed before they even become cancerous, with little to no chance of a reoccurrence. Yet, in the later stages of cancer, the five-year survival rates can drop to as low as 7% if left unchecked. However, recent research has prompted concerns that some of the colonoscopy prep drugs can severely damage the kidneys. Oral preparations made with sodium phosphate (including prescription Visicol tablets and over-the-counter Fleet-Phosphosoda) have caused at least 21 cases of acute kidney failure, which led to the need for transplants or permanent dialysis. The elderly, heart attack sufferers and people on high blood pressure/hypertension drugs like ACE inhibitors are at considerable high risk of colonoscopy complications, researchers wrote in the November issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Virtual Colonoscopy
Usually, the first symptoms of colon cancer appear once it's too late and colon cancer patients are already into Stage III, where the survival rate is down to about 40%. Yet, if caught early, this deadly disease is 93 to 100% curable. Each year, 49,920 Americans die of metastatic colon cancer that has migrated throughout their bodies into other organs. In the beginning, a virtual colonoscopy can find the tiniest abnormalities, like non-cancerous colon polyps, that can be easily removed with a colonoscope or minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.
How To Prevent Colon Cancer
Cancer research has never been more exciting. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are testing a new vaccine (the "Pitt Vaccine") that may treat polyps and prevent colon cancer in high-risk patients. "By stimulating an immune response against the MUC1 protein in these precancerous growths, we may be able to draw the immune system's fire to attack and destroy the abnormal cells," lead investigator, Dr. Robert E. Schoen, said. "That might not only prevent progression to cancer, but even polyp recurrence." Until this vaccine has been tested, readily available and covered by insurances, the best that colon cancer patients or at-risk individuals can do is get regularly screened, eat healthy, exercise and practice healthy habits.
Be Aware of Colon Cancer Symptoms
More Articles...
Page 1 of 2
«StartPrev12NextEnd»
