In this article, we will take a look at:
You can click on any of the links above to navigate to the section of your interest.
Also referred to as bowel cancer, rectal cancer or colon cancer, colorectal cancer is a kind of cancer which affects the rectum and colon. Colon and rectum is basically a hollow tube which connects the small intestine to the anus. It is roughly 5 to 6 feet in length. Colon absorbs water and stores waste products of the digestion process till the time body is prepared to empty the same. Rectum is the last portion of colon where you will find the sphincter muscles.
Colorectal cancer can be benign or malignant. When it is malignant, the abnormal cells multiply at a phenomenal rate and can spread to other areas of the body and cause damage. The affected malignant tumor in the colon can spread to the lymph nodes and this can lead to the spread of the disease to surrounding areas.
Mostly colon cancers are adenocarcinomas. The cancer cells are present on the inner lining of the colon. The rarer kind of colon cancer encompasses:
Carcinoid tumours- They are present in hormone-producing cells of intestines
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors- This is a kind of soft tissue sarcoma and can be found in any part of the gastrointestinal tract
Lymphomas- This is a cancer of the immune system which usually begins in the lymph nodes and in some cases it begins in the colon.
Colorectal cancer generally starts as a polyp which is basically a kind of growth present on the inner lining of the colon. Most of the polyps do not lead to cancerous growths. However, there are few which turn cancerous. The two common kinds of polyps which are found in the colon and rectum are:
Men have a higher risk of colorectal cancer as compared to women.
Screening can detect polyps before they become cancerous. Detecting colon cancer during its early stages improves the chances of cure. Mentioned below are the common screening and diagnostic procedures for colon cancer-
If diagnosed in early stages, colorectal cancer can be properly cured. However, in its later stages, it can cause death. Treatment will not cure it if cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Some of the complications of colorectal cancer include:
Treatment for colorectal cancer depends on the stage it is diagnosed at, size of cancer polyps and its location. Treatment includes surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. If cancer gets detected in the early stages, surgery can be done to remove it. Radiation and chemotherapy are used to reduce the size of a tumour too. In this, the proteins which promote the growth of cancerous cells are specifically targeted. In radiation therapy, there is the use of high-frequency radiation beams to inhibit multiplication of cancer cells.
Leukemia is the cancer or malignancy of the blood cells which starts in blood-forming tissue, usually the bone marrow. Know more about Leukemia, its causes, symptoms, treatment and other useful facts, links and videos on Health-Wiki | Practo
Brain tumor surgery is a procedure which involes surgical removal of the tumor and some surrounding tissue in the brain.
Radiation Therapy is a procedure which uses high doses of radiation to shrink the tumors and kills cancer cells in the body.In few cases,it may be used along with chemotherapy and other drugs.