The American Cancer Society reports that over 100,000 people were diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008. It was also the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, claiming an estimated 50,000 victims that year. It is possible to get treatment for colon cancer if you detect it early. However, there are other signs of colon cancer that may indicate it has reached the terminal stage.
Colon Function
The colon is the area of the digestive system responsible for filtering out liquids and nutrients from your body's waste products. Food passes down through your esophagus to the stomach and into the small intestine. Food is further digested and passed onto the large intestine, which contains the colon. It makes up about 6 feet of the large intestine and is divided into four parts: the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and sigmoid colon.
Symptoms
Colon cancer develops from polyps that reside on the inner wall. Adenomatous polyps have a higher rate of becoming cancerous. These polyps could be hereditary, adding to the risk of contracting colon cancer. People who know they have hereditary polyps or suffer from consistent irritable bowels should get early screenings for colon cancer.
Early signs of colon cancer can be difficulty passing stool and rectal bleeding. Some people ignore rectal bleeding as a symptom if they suffer from hemorrhoids. Blood inside the stool can also be a sign. Persistent abdominal pain, fatigue or inconsistent characterization of stool is often associated with colon cancer.
When colon cancer advances in development, the symptoms become more intense. Unexplained nausea, persistent vomiting and unexplained weight loss could mean that the tumors are blocking the colon path and taking more resources.
Stage 4 Diagnosis
This is also known as Duke's D Colon cancer. Colon cancer becomes terminal once it reaches stage 4, where it has spread into the nearby lymph nodes that are responsible for distributing the antibodies that would fight it. If the tumor has metastasized, cancer cells may have spread to other organs like the heart or liver. The diagnosis can come from a CT scan of the colon and other possibly infected organs or fluids drawn from those organ areas.
Final Stage Symptoms
When colon cancer reaches the terminal stages, patients have less than a 3 percent chance to live beyond 5 years. Increased fatigue and general pain can develop, as well as difficulty keeping food down. A person may have difficulty walking and increased weight loss. If the colon cancer spreads to the liver, the patient's skin may become jaundice, especially around the eyes. Infected lungs could add shortness of breath and a swollen chest.
Treatment
Surgical treatment is still a viable option in order to extend the patient's life. Doctors can remove the section of the colon with the tumor and sew the healthier sections together. Freezing the tumor and removing it, also known as cryotherapy, is also a viable option. Surgery may also be an option to remove other infected body parts, depending on the size of the areas infected. Chemotherapy may be used to kill any remaining cells after removal; it is usually targeted towards the infected organs at this stage. One method, heptic artery infusion, targets the chemotherapy straight into the liver.
Tags: colon cancer, also known, colon cancer, infected organs, large intestine, rectal bleeding