[ad_1]
March is the month of colon cancer awareness. This will be discussed in today's section.
Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States; it is diagnosed in more than 140,000 people and kills about 50,000 each year; one in 20 Americans will be diagnosed in his lifetime.
Colon cancer usually begins with precancerous clumps of cells that form in the lining of the colon, called polyps. If these cells begin to multiply uncontrollably and then destroy normal tissue, they have become cancerous.
Risk factors for developing colon cancer include age over 50, certain genetic diseases (eg familial polyposis), some medical conditions eating a lot of red meat, having a low fiber diet, smoking or being sedentary), of African or European descent, others.
The prognosis for patients with colon cancer depends on the early stage of diagnosis (stage) at which they are diagnosed.
Early disease, where cancer is restricted to the inner layers of the colon (stage I) or spread through the muscle layer of the colon but nowhere else (stage II), has the best prognosis and can be cured by surgical removal of the diseased part of the colon. In addition to surgery, chemotherapy may be recommended in some patients with stage II disease if there is microscopic spread of their cancer. Overall, the 5-year survival rate for stage I or II treated colon cancer is 80-90%.
Stage III corresponds to the stage where the disease has spread to the regional lymph nodes and, although it can be cured by removing the diseased part of the colon and affected lymph nodes, the prognosis is not known. not as good as stage I or II. The 5-year survival rate is between 50 and 80%, depending on the specificities of the patient's disease. In addition to surgery, chemotherapy is generally recommended.
Stage IV disease occurs when the cancer has spread to organs outside the colon and has a poor prognosis. It is usually treated by surgery to eliminate as much cancer as possible, as well as chemotherapy to improve life expectancy. the overall survival rate at 5 years is about 10%. Some patients may benefit from the addition of radiation therapy to their treatment regimen.
Early colon cancer usually has no symptoms, although there may be discernible blood in the stool. Symptoms such as abdominal distension, weight loss, fatigue, changes in bowel movements, and even narrow stools or stool blockage may not occur until the advanced stage of the disease.
Since the prognosis for patients with colon cancer is better than for an early stage disease, which is often asymptomatic, screening is important and saves lives. Possible screening strategies include:
The microscopic blood test in stool (from subtle bleeding from cancer), called fecal occult blood test (FOBT), is a non-invasive method of screening for colon cancer. Other newer stool testing tests look for DNA and / or immune chemicals in addition to the blood.
The direct visualization of cancer (or polyps) can be performed using a specialized instrument resembling a tube and equipped with a camera at the end (a colonoscope). If only the final third of the colon is examined, this is called sigmoidoscopy. If the entire colon is visualized, this is called a colonoscopy. Although it is an invasive screening procedure, it has an added benefit. if polyps (based on size or other characteristics) are identified, they can be removed during the procedure.
Other techniques to visualize the colon include a specialized scanner (sometimes called a virtual colonoscopy) or the ingestion of a small camera the size of a pill.
Everyone should be screened for colon cancer, with the specific recommendation depending on the patient's overall risk factors and the type of test he or she feels best for him / her. Screening recommendations for people at medium risk should start at age 50, with:
Direct colonoscopy every 10 years or
Virtual colonoscopy every 5 years or
Sigmoidoscopy every 5 to 10 years or
Annual stool screening.
High-risk patients may have more frequent screening recommended, usually with colonoscopy.
Colon cancer deaths have decreased over the past 20 years, at least in part because of the increased number of people screened. The specific diseases for which a person should be screened and the most appropriate screening test should be identified for each person. As recommendations may change if / when someone develops new risk factors, or even if the research identifies new guidelines, everyone should regularly discuss disease screening with their health care provider. And of course, it's always beneficial to make good lifestyle choices, including exercising and following a proper diet.
Jeff Hersh, Ph.D., M.D., can be reached at [email protected]
Source link
