What is colon cancer?
Colon cancer is cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) at the end of your digestive tract. It often affects older adults but can show up at any age. Colorectal cancer is a combination of colon and rectal cancers.
Colon cancer usually begins as polyps, small clumps of abnormal cells that can grow into cancer. Routine colon cancer screenings and treatment as needed can prevent cancer from spreading to other parts of your body.
What are the symptoms of colon cancer?
You might not have any symptoms of colon cancer, at least in its early stages. However, over time you’ll notice the following signs or symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Changes in stool consistency
- Abdominal discomfort
- Cramps, pain, or gas
- Rectal bleeding
- Blood in your stool
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Feeling like your bowel doesn’t empty
Symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. See your doctor at the first sign of new or unusual symptoms of a digestive tract problem.
What are the risk factors for colon cancer?
While anybody can develop colon cancer, certain things increase your risk of getting it. Examples include being African-American, older age, genetics, personal or family history of colon cancer, and having an inflammatory intestinal condition like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Other risk factors include eating a high-fat or low-fiber diet, being sedentary, obese, diabetic, or a smoker. Heavy alcohol consumption also increases your risk, as does undergoing radiation therapy for cancer.
How does my doctor diagnose colon cancer?
Your doctor might recommend several strategies to find out if you have colon cancer and determine its severity. With a colonoscopy, they use a long, flexible tube containing a tiny camera to examine the inside of your colon and rectum.
During the procedure, your specialist can remove potentially cancerous polyps and other tissue samples to screen them for cancer. Your doctor might recommend you undergo CT scans to determine which stage of cancer you have.
What are my colon cancer treatment options?
If you’ve been diagnosed with colon cancer, your personalized treatment plan could include:
- Removing polyps
- Colon resection
- Laparoscopic surgery
- Robotic surgery
- Partial colon removal
- Colon reconstruction
- Lymph node removal
- Stent placement
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted drug therapy
- Immunotherapy
Your doctor could recommend that, along with another cancer treatment, you have surgery to remove colon cancer. This can improve your chance of reaching a good outcome.
Follow all pre- and post-surgery instructions and special diets as directed by your surgeon. You might need to stay in the surgical center for a few nights, depending on the type of surgery you undergo.
Don’t let colon cancer go undetected and untreated, increasing your risk of dangerous complications. Call the Lakeland Surgical Clinic, PLLC, or book an appointment online today.
