Symptoms & Stages of Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the final part of the digestive system, the colon, found in the large intestine.
Colon cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the final part of the digestive system, the colon, found in the large intestine.
It has been seen to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Colon cancer may sometimes be referred to as colorectal cancer, a term combining both colon and rectal cancer.
Colon cancer is easy to miss, especially in the early stages, because some of the symptoms may be minor. However, some of the symptoms to look out for include:
Change in bowel habits
A colon cancer patient may have some bowel habits changes and may experience increased cases of diarrhea and constipation. In some cases, they might have problems passing stool.
Changes in stool
Patients may notice some changes in their stool, the common one being thin stool, which can be as thin as a pencil. Also, the stool may become black or bright red. The black color is mainly attributed to blood in the bowels, which eventually turns black.
Bloating or abdominal pain
Patients may experience abdominal pains, cramps, and frequent bloating that do not go away easily. Some of these symptoms may last for as long as a month.
As the cancer advances to stage 3 and stage 4, the symptoms become more noticeable and more difficult to ignore. Some of them include:
• Excess fatigue.
• Vomiting.
• Unexplained weakness.
• Feeling like your bowels don’t empty completely.
• Rapid and unexplained weight loss.
• Loss of appetite.
• Shortness of breath.
• Anemia.
• Chronic headaches.
• Blurry vision.
• Swelling in your feet and hands.
• Jaundice (yellow eyes and skin).
Colon cancer advances in stages, and the doctor can use these stages to determine how far along it is or how far it has spread. Stage 0 is the earliest, while stage 4 is the most advanced.
Stage 0- It is also called carcinoma in situ. During this stage, the cancerous cells are found in the inner lining of the colon or rectum only.
Stage 1- during this stage, the cancerous cells have penetrated the mucosa or inner lining of the colon and might have also grown inside the muscle layer. However, they have not spread to the nearing lymph nodes or other body parts.
Stage 2- The cells have grown and spread through the walls of the colon to the nearby tissues but have not yet infected any lymph nodes.
Stage 3- The cells have spread to lymph nodes but no other parts of the body.
Stage 4- The cancer cells have spread to other body parts like the lungs and liver.
Cells normally have a defined growth, division, and death process. Whenever cells grow and divide abnormally and uncontrollably, or when they do not die at the normal time in the life cycle, cancer develops.
Cancerous cells may generate and spread from malignant tumors through the lymph system or blood to other body parts. The cells invade healthy tissues and grow through a process known as metastasis.
While the exact causes of colon cancer are not known, there are several known causes;
Polyps
This is one of the most common causes of colon cancer. Polyps are noncancerous tumors that develop on the large intestine's inner walls. The most common polyps types are;
• Adenomas- These polyps may look like healthy colon lining, but under a microscope, they look different. However, after some time, they become cancerous.
• Hyperplastic polyps- While these are not common in causing colon cancer, they still pose a threat.
If not removed during the early stages of treatment or development, some of the polyps may develop into malignant colon cancer.
Less commonly, other types of tumors that cause colon cancer include;
• Carcinoids- These begin in cells that produce hormones in your intestines.
• Lymphomas- These may form in the colon or lymph nodes first.
• Gastrointestinal stromal tumors- These may begin as benign, and later develop into cancerous cells.
• Sacromas- These develop in soft tissues like the muscles in your colon.
While there are not many known causes of colon cancer, there are several things that can increase your chances of getting it.
Age
Although colon cancer may happen at any age, the chances of getting the disease increase from the age of 45. Almost 95% of all reported colon cases are from patients who are 45 years and above.
According to reports by the National Cancer Institute, the median age of colon cancer patients is 68 years.
Race
Racial and ethnic background is another common risk factor of colon cancer. African Americans are the ones with the highest chances of getting colon cancer. Ashkenazi Jews also have increased chances compared to other people of other races.
Family history
If anyone in your family has ever been diagnosed with colon cancer, it is recommended that you also get tested at around 40-45 years because that increases your chances of getting colon cancer.
The risk is even higher if you have more than one blood relative who has had the disease.
Inherited syndromes
Several gene mutations passed over from your generation might increase your chances of getting colon cancer. However, the percentage of people who get it from inherited symptoms is small.
One of the most common inherited syndromes that may increase your chances of getting colon cancer include FAP (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis).
Attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP) and Gardner syndrome are subtypes of FAP that also increase colon cancer risks.
Lynch syndrome, also called HNPCC (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer), is another inherited syndrome that increases colon cancer risk.
Other inherited syndromes include;
• Juvenile polyposis syndrome (JPS).
• Turcot syndrome.
• Muir-Torre syndrome.
• Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS).
• MYH-associated polyposis (MAP)
History of polyps or colon cancer
If you have had colon cancer before, you have higher chances of suffering from it again in other parts of your colon. You may also have recurrent cancer, which might be a malignancy that grows at or near the exact place that the original tumor was.
If your doctor found polyps in your colon during a regular colonoscopy, you might also have a high chance of getting colon cancer.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Having inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis may also increase your risk of getting colon cancer. The chances depend on how long you have had those diseases and how much of your colon is affected.
The longer you have the disease and the larger the parts of your colon are affected, the higher the risk.
Diet
Eating meals that have a lot of red and processed meat often increase your colon cancer risks. Methods of cooking meet like grilling, frying, and boiling meat that involve a lot of heat produce certain chemicals that increase colon cancer risks.
Experts say that having 50 grams of red and processed meat daily increases colon cancer risk by 18%. To reduce that risk, you can replace red and processed meats with meats like fish and poultry. White bread and sugary drinks also increase the risk.
Some foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains can help you reduce the risk of colon cancer because they are high in fiber.
Inactive lifestyle
People who lead an inactive life have increased colon cancer risk. You can try to change that by starting to workout or engage in other physical exercises.
Obesity and type II diabetes
These are two lifestyle diseases that play the biggest role in increasing your colon cancer risk.
Smoking and alcohol use
Smoking is known to be the leading cause of cancers like lung and throat cancer, and those chemicals can also increase the chances of colon cancer.
If you have any of the above risk factors, there are ways you can prevent yourself from getting colon cancer. One of the most common ways taking aspirin or aspirin-like drugs. However, before taking any of those drugs, ensure that you consult with your doctor first.
That is because there are no established doses, and overusing aspirin can have side effects like ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding. Also, it is not established how long you need to take the aspirin for it to prevent you from colon cancer.
You can also prevent yourself from colon cancer by taking foods rich in fruits and vegetables. Taking vitamin D and calcium supplements has also been seen to lessen colon cancer risk.
The best way to ensure that you are protected from colon cancer is by making regular visits to your doctor for examinations. That will ensure that they determine if you have the disease or not. It also helps them identify it in its early stages, which makes it easier and faster for it to be treated.
The doctor will also assess your risk factors and advise you if using medications will keep you away from colon cancer, and may also suggest other safer ways.
If you experience some colon cancer symptoms and are not sure if you may have the disease, you must visit a doctor. There are different ways of diagnosing colon cancer, including;
• Fecal testing.
• Colonoscopy.
• X-ray.
• Sigmoidoscopy.
• Blood testing.
• CT scan.
Depending on your overall health and the stage in which the colon cancer may be, the doctor may use different methods to treat you. Some of the most common methods include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation or advice related to your health or finances. No reference to an identifiable individual or company is intended as an endorsement thereof. Some or all of this article may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and it may contain certain inaccuracies or unreliable information. Readers should not rely on this article for information and should consult with professionals for personal advice.