Have you recently observed blood in your stool or a change in your bowel movements? This occurs too frequently. You should see your doctor immediately.
Why the rush, you may ask?
Here’s the question we have for you:
How frequently do you contemplate what you are consuming?
Do you exercise enough?
Do you sleep well at Night?
Do you take care of your body?
Colorectal cancer is cancer affecting the colon, rectum, or bowel. You describe the beginning of what you are reading as brutal. Unfortunately, the answer is yes because you are cruel to your body. Your body’s capacity is limited. Then it strikes back.
However, you justify yourself by claiming cancer is genetic. We respond that not everyone gets cancer owing to genetics. Dr. Sandeep Nayak, an oncologist specializing in colon cancer treatment in Bangalore, said that some people develop colon cancer due to their lack of lifestyle.
This article explains why a simple and traditional lifestyle is essential.
On the one hand, media coverage has empowered the public with knowledge, but on the other, it has also made them susceptible.
The marketing mafia is determined to make an unhealthy lifestyle appear so attractive that everyone will adopt it.
Whatever show you choose to watch, the internet is aware of your lifestyle habits and makes it a priority to persuade you to purchase unnecessary items.
Simply put, if you got pizza from a particular restaurant two nights ago, the ad would play on your phone three days later to remind you how much you miss their amazing pizza.
What can you do? You are hungry, it is dinnertime, and delivery is promised within 30 minutes.
So, you order a pizza, and while you wait for it, you snack on something, perhaps chips.
Yes, once more, the food is fast – straight from the package, loaded with calories and, yes, preservatives. Are they carcinogenic? Let’s Find Out.
We begin with: –
What symptoms are associated with colon cancer?
The most common colorectal cancer symptoms are:
- Blood in the faeces
- Constipation occurs more frequently
- Reduced stool density
- Weight reduction
- loss of hunger
- sickness and vomiting
However, over fifty percent of colorectal cancer patients report no symptoms.
What factors induce colon cancer?
Let’s assume that just 5 to 25 percent of persons have colorectal cancer due to their genes. The rest of them have colorectal cancer due to their lifestyle choices, specifically: –
1.High consumption of
- fatty foods
- Sugar,
- Alcohol
- Lean meat
- cured and preserved beef
- Tobacco use,
2.Obesity, and little physical activity.
Who is at risk of developing colon cancer?
If the following are detected in your system:
- Streptococcus Gallolyticus: The presence of streptococcus gallolyticus or its antigen in the blood is indicative of the presence of carcinogens in the colon since they are linked to colon cancer.
- E. coli increases the risk of colorectal cancer by generating colibactin, a genotoxic metabolite.
- Inflammatory bowel illness or ulcerative colitis also raises the risk of colorectal cancer.
Or
If your parents or siblings have colorectal cancer, your risk of developing the disease is elevated.
Diagnosis:
Dr. Sandeep Nayak, who specializes in colon cancer treatment in Bangalore, adds that colon cancer is diagnosed through a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy biopsy of a questionable colon area.
A CT scan can also reveal the existence of a tumor.
PET scans and MRI are further imaging modalities used to assess the presence of malignancies.
According to research, between 95% and 98% of persons have adenocarcinoma tumors.
Colon cancer stages:
The cancer is staged based on the test results. If the primary tumor has migrated to lymph nodes and other distant organs, you are in stage 4, which necessitates the implementation of all available cancer treatments.
Prevention:
Can cancer of the colon be prevented?
Since we now know that most colon cancer occurrences result from lifestyle decisions, preventing colon cancer is as easy as eating healthily and exercising regularly. Include fiber foods in your diet and avoid consuming fatty foods, red processed meat, alcohol, and tobacco.
If you are not at risk for cardiovascular disease or bleeding disorders, you may also take aspirin and celecoxib.
Calcium and vitamin D also aid in cancer prevention, although there is insufficient evidence to support this claim.
Instead of waiting for the symptoms to show, Dr. Sandeep Nayak encourages individuals to undergo cancer screenings proactively. Thus, you may be able to achieve a full recovery with minimal therapy if you discover it early enough.
The three most common screening procedures are a fecal occult blood test, a flexible sigmoidoscopy, and a colonoscopy.
Sigmoidoscopy once every 10 years and colonoscopy once every 10 years.
Treatment:
According to Dr. Sandeep Nayak, the course of treatment for colon cancer is determined by the patient’s health and disease stage.
- Surgery: If the disease is detected early, surgery is the treatment of choice; however, if cancer has spread, palliative care is given to manage the patient’s symptoms and keep them comfortable. Colon cancer can be removed surgically through colonoscopy utilizing endoscopic mucosal resection or endoscopic submucosal dissection if identified early. Partial colectomy can eliminate localized cancer (removal of affected colon or rectum). During this treatment, the mesocolon and its blood supply to draining lymph nodes are also removed. It relies totally on the patient’s state. The colon is then re-joined, or a colostomy may be performed if necessary. Since he can protect the rectum, Dr. Sandeep Nayak specializes in surgical treatments where a colostomy can be avoided.
- Chemotherap: Chemotherapy is effective if cancer has spread but not excessively.
-
- Colon cancer typically spreads to the liver and lungs in men and women but also to women’s reproductive systems.
- Radiation: To avoid a colostomy, radiation treatment is sometimes used in conjunction with chemotherapy to treat rectal malignancies. Or if the cancer has reached stage 3 or beyond. It reduces the tumor’s size.
- Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is beneficial for certain colorectal cancer types. However, it returns after a few months.
- Palliative Treatment: Patients in stages 3 and 4 of colon cancer are recommended to receive palliative care. Here, the symptoms are treated, and the patient is kept comfortable. Hospitalization is not recommended. Doctors prescribe exercise to colon cancer survivors to prevent a recurrence.
- Prognosis: It relies on whether the cancer is benign or metastatic to determine the prognosis.
- Recurrence rate: Patients in stages 3 and later have the highest likelihood of colon cancer recurrence. 17 to 44% of stage 3 colon cancer survivors are at risk for recurrence.
Conclusion:
Colon cancer is prevented if you live a healthy lifestyle unless your parents or siblings also have it. Therefore, it is genetic.
Regular screening examinations aid in the early detection of colon cancer.
Surgical treatment can lead to a complete recovery if the condition is detected early enough.
If you are already experiencing symptoms, you will likely have additional procedures, such as chemotherapy and radiation, in addition to surgery.
A colostomy can be avoided if the oncologist is skillful.