Colon Cancer: Early Signs, Stages, and Treatment Options

Introduction

Cancer cases are increasing day by day. Our unhealthy lifestyle, along with pollution, is responsible for almost a 12.5 percent increase in cancer cases in the last five years. In the past, cancers in the lungs, face, oral cavity, and skin were much more common. However, in recent times, other cancer cases like colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer are becoming predominant. Among these cases, colon cancer is responsible for the second-highest number of deaths worldwide.

What Is Colon Cancer?

Our food pipe, or digestive tract, is long. The final tube-like part of the digestive tract is known as the colon. When the cells of this portion start to grow unnaturally, they become unhealthy and harmful, and cause cancer. However, this can sometimes affect your rectum or the area of the anus inside the body. As a result, it is often called colorectal cancer.

It is common among people living in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States, almost 50 people per 10,000 people suffer from this disease.

What Are the Causes of Colon Cancer and the Risk Factors?

Doctors still do not know the exact causes of colon cancer. However, they believe that 70 percent of cases are not linked to any particular cause. According to them, colon cancer causes include mostly changes in our genetic structure. A change in the genes, which can be seen in diseases like Lynch syndrome (a genetic disease that causes different cancers) or hereditary nonpolyposis, can be linked to your colon cancer. These diseases can cause changes in the MUTYH, BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, CDKN2A, and TP53 genes and cause defective cell production.

Also, your family history is an important factor in this. These factors cause unnatural cell division and cell growth inside your colon or rectum. Over the period, these cells grow into a polyp-like structure. Gradually, these polyps turn into cancerous growths.

Despite these, doctors say certain risk factors can cause colon cancer;

1. If you eat excessive processed food, processed meat, or red meat very often, you have a higher chance of having colon cancer.

2. If you are a chronic smoker or drink alcohol too often, you can have colon cancer.

3. People who are obese or have a low-quality diet, like less vegetables or less fiber in the diet, have a higher chance of having colorectal cancer.

4. If you have gut issues like ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome, you have a higher chance of having colorectal cancer.

5. Also, factors like an inactive lifestyle or increased age (over 50 years) increase the risk of this problem.

What Are the Early Warning Signs and Symptoms of Colon Cancer?

In the early stage or stage 1 colon cancer, the symptoms are minimal. You will notice minor changes like;

1. You will notice mild abdominal pain with mild discomfort, like bloating.

2. Also, there will be blood in your poop. A colon cancer poop usually looks bright red or dark in color due to the presence of blood.

3. You can notice fatigue or loss of interest in food. Also, you can see there is a reduction in your daily food intake.

In severe or advanced cases, the symptoms are more severe.

1. You will notice significant weight loss.

2. Abdominal pain and cramps are more severe.

3. You will notice frequent changes in bowel habit, which can cause diarrhea or constipation.

4. Also, you can experience frequent vomiting where blood can be present.

What Are the Diagnostic Tests for Colon Cancer?

Doctors use different diagnostic tests to detect colon cancer. The most common test they perform is the direct examination of your rectum. This is called the digital rectal exam, where they try to find out the presence of any abnormality or growth inside your anus. Apart from this, the doctors use different tests to detect colon cancer.

1. Stool Test: The most common colon cancer test is the poop test. There are several kinds of poop tests: the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), the Guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT), and the fecal DNA test. These tests not only detect the presence of blood in the poop but also can detect the abnormal cells present in the blood.

2. Colonoscopy: Doctors use these methods very commonly. Here, they insert a tube-like structure through your anus and inspect the colon and the anus.

3. Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: This technique is similar to the colonoscopy. A similar kind of flexible probe is inserted through your anus and the lower portion of the colon, and the rectum is checked.

4. Virtual Colonoscopy: Here, doctors take a series of X-rays and a CT (computed tomography) image of your colon and rectum to form a detailed three-dimensional image of your colon.

Colon Cancer Type

Doctors use diagnostic tests to determine the type of colon cancer you have. Based on the cancer site, you can have right-sided colon cancer, left-sided colon cancer, or cancer of the rectum.

Also, they use a biopsy to determine the nature of your cancer. The most common type of colon cancer is adenocarcinoma. Also, one can have other types of colon cancer, like carcinoid tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, lymphomas, and sarcomas.

Colon Cancer Stages

A colon cancer staging is important to understand the spread and the severity of the disease. Based on the diagnostic tests, doctors decide the spread of colon cancer. Colon cancer stages are the following;

1. Stage 1: In this stage, the harmful cancer cells are limited to the cancer site and do not spread to the lymph nodes or other organs.

2. Stage 2: In stage 2, the cancer cells spread deep into the walls of your colon. However, they still have not reached the lymph nodes or other organs.

3. Stage 3: The cancer cells have reached your lymph nodes or glands. However, these cells still have not reached your other organs. In advanced stage 3 cases, you can see the involvement of the nearby organs.

4. Stage 4: Here, the cancer has spread to other organs. In advanced cases, your organs, like the liver or lungs, can be affected by this.

What Are the Treatment Options for Colon Cancer?

The colon cancer treatment options are based on the nature of the cancer and its spread. Doctors mostly suggest;

1. Surgery: Surgery is the main treatment option where doctors remove the abnormal or cancerous part from your body. Doctors can perform different surgeries based on your complication. Sometimes they remove a cancerous polyp by polypectomy. If the spread of the cancer is greater, they can remove a portion of your colon by colectomy. If the spread of the cancer is severe, a large portion of your colon is taken out, and doctors create an alternate pathway for your poop to come out, which is called a colostomy.

2. Chemotherapy: Here, medicines like Capecitabine or Oxaliplatin are used to kill the cancer cells. They are often used before surgery to kill the cancer cells and minimize the size of the cancer.

3. Radiation Therapy: Doctors use high-energy X-rays to kill the cancer cells. If chemotherapy and radiotherapy are used before your cancer treatment, it is called neoadjuvant therapy.

4. Immunotherapy: Your body needs more ability to fight the cancer cells. That is why doctors can give you medicines like Ipilimumab, Nivolumab, and Pembrolizumab to boost your immunity and to enhance your ability to fight cancer cells.

What Are the Prevention Strategies for Colon Cancer?

You should understand that preventing colon cancer is easier than fighting it. You can easily prevent your colon cancer through some good habits, like;

1. A healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fiber.

2. You must avoid eating processed food and red meat.

3. Regular exercise and no bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol can keep you healthy.

People often say colon cancer is hereditary. In such cases, a regular colon cancer screening will be helpful for you. You can go for a periodic stool test and a colonoscopy to detect any abnormality inside your colon. Recently, doctors have been using colon cancer screening blood tests for screening purposes. These tests include;

1. Shield Test: This blood test detects cell-free DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in the blood. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved this test.

2. Methylated SEPT9 Test: This is a special biomarker present in the blood if you have colorectal cancer. Doctors do blood tests to detect this biomarker in your body.

Living With Colon Cancer

You must remember that you can live a healthy life after your colon cancer treatment. Some people worry about colon cancer prognosis due to its high recurrence rate. There is a 17 to 50 percent recurrence rate of colon cancer. However, if you live a healthy life and follow regular check-ups, you can live a normal life too.

Also, early diagnosis must be the key to better survival. The colon cancer survival rate depends on the early diagnosis, with a stage 1 survival rate of up to 90 percent after five years of treatment. However, a diagnosis of colon cancer in an advanced stage can reduce the survival rate.

Conclusion

Colon cancer or colorectal cancer is one of the common types of cancer in today's world. Though family history is an important factor in this, other factors like lifestyle are also important in colon cancer. However, with early diagnosis and proper treatment, you can live a healthy life after your colon cancer treatment.

Key Takeaway From iCliniq

If you have a family history of colon cancer, you must take precautions. Proper diet, a healthy lifestyle, along with regular screening, can save you from colon cancer. Also, in case of any query related to this, remember that doctors at iCliniq are always there to help you.