Colorectal Cancer
The colon and the rectum—the two parts of the large intestine—are common places for cancer to occur. It is often a hidden cancer because it doesn't usually cause symptoms in its early stages.
Colon cancer affects men and women equally, usually after age 50. That's why experts recommend that adults be tested regularly for colorectal cancer after age 50. Testing is especially important for individuals who are at increased risk for developing colorectal cancer. That include those who: have had polyps (a benign growth in the colon or rectum); have a close family member with colorectal cancer; have ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease; or who eat a fatty diet or smoke.
Symptoms of colorectal cancer include:
- diarrhea or constipation
- a feeling that the bowel isn't emptying completely
- blood in the stool
- stools that are narrower than usual
- frequently feeling full or bloated
- weight loss with no known reason
There are several ways to check for hidden colorectal cancer. The most effective test is the colonoscopy. In this test, a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end is passed through the anus and up through the rectum and colon. Any precancerous polyps can be removed during the test. A sigmoidoscopy uses a similar tube, but it is able to look into only the lower portion of the colon. A third test, the fecal occult stool test, can be done at home. It checks for blood in the stool, which can be a sign of bleeding from a colorectal polyp or cancer.
Treatments for colorectal cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of these.
Colorectal Cancer Articles
Colon cancer is among the most common – and preventable – cancers: nearly 140,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer each year in the US and more than 50,000 people die of the disease annually. This makes it the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related death in the US.
So, you should be familiar with colonoscopy (if you aren't already). That's the test during which a doctor places a flexible tube through the rectum into the colon to look for polyps, tumors or other problems. As awful as it may sound, it's usually well-tolerated: you're sedated for the procedure and often people don't even remember having it. We're lucky to have such a good screening test for colon cancer - colonoscopy can not only detect tumors while they're curable, but it can identify precancerous polyps which can be removed before they become cancerous.
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Know when and how to get screened for colon cancer.
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Routine colon cancer screening is often not recommended for men over age 75 unless they have had precancerous polyps before or have a family history of colon cancer. However, men should consider having a colonoscopy at least once, even after age 75, if they have never had one.
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Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths and the third most common cancer in men. Screening tests to help find and often remove polyps before they become cancer are recommended for men ages 50 to 75, yet many avoid them. To help highlight the urgency for regular colon cancer screenings, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued updated recommendations and described tests that might be a better option than an invasive colonoscopy, especially for lower-risk men.
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Once you’ve completed therapy, you may face a new set of challenges to your health and well-being, including late effects of treatment, the fear of recurrence, and altered relationships. Your health-care team can help you deal with them.
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Drinking coffee may be associated with a reduced recurrence of colon cancer, and even a reduced risk of death.
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A new DNA-based stool test for colorectal cancer offers advantages over other stool tests, like detecting more cancers and precancerous polyps. But if a stool test is positive, a man still needs to undergo colonoscopy.
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Taking aspirin regularly may reduce risk of colon cancer but also increases risk of internal bleeding. It is not possible yet to routinely determine who would be helped more than harmed by taking aspirin for colon cancer prevention.
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Whether older adults should get routine colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings is debated. Some guidelines suggest that people should not get screenings past age 75 or 80. Some evidence shows the screenings are effective well into the 80s in previously unscreened patients with no other chronic conditions. For people older than 75, it’s best to weigh the risks and benefits of screening. A family history of CRC or precancerous polyps increase the risk for CRC and may be cause for a screening.
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If a first-degree relative—a parent, sibling, or child—has developed certain cancers, then one’s own risk of getting the cancer is greater than the average person’s. However, it does not mean that one would definitely get the cancer.
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