Fatty Foods May Lead To Colon Cancer
Rectal cancer does not happen overnight. First, polyps appear in the lower six inches of the colon (the rectum). These polyps are precancerous growths that appear as bumps or abscesses. Sometimes they are benign, but other times they mutate into cancer, which begins working its way through the rectal wall, into surrounding lymph nodes and into other organ tissue, wreaking all sorts of havoc. While living a healthy lifestyle helps prevent cancer in general, the only way to effectively combat colon cancer is to get screened consistently after 50 years of age.
The actual cause of cancer of the rectum has not been pinpointed, but certain risk factors have been clearly identified. Age is one, as 90% of colorectal cancer diagnoses come after age 50. According to the American Cancer Society, smokers are six times’ more likely to develop colorectal cancer than nonsmokers. Family history also plays a role, for as many as 1 in 5 people with this type of cancer have family members who also were diagnosed with it. Inherited syndromes is at 5%, with inherited syndromes like familial adenomatus polyposis or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, and obese individuals are four times’ more likely to develop cancer of the rectum, says the American College of Gastroenterology. Perhaps the biggest risk of metastatic colon cancer is the lack of early screening.
To screen for rectal cancer, doctors can insert a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to feel for abnormalities during a routine visit. They will also usually take a stool sample to perform a fecal occult blood test or DNA test. A sigmoidoscopy sends a flexible tube into the rectum and lower colon to remove polyps for examination under a microscope. Similarly, a colonoscope can also be sent through the entire length of the colon to remove polyps. A barium enema can be administered to take x-rays and a virtual colonoscopy is another way of scanning the colon for growths.
Surgery is considered to be the most curative treatment for rectal cancer. Early colon cancer symptoms can be treated with a local excision, where a tube is inserted into the rectum to remove the colon polyps (which is called a “polypectomy”). If the polyps are too plentiful or advanced to be nicked off with a wire attached to a flexible tube, then a resection and anastomosis may be done. During a resection, the doctor can remove portions of the rectum containing the cancer, along with fatty surrounding tissue, and simply reconnect the colon to the remaining rectum or directly to the anus (anastomosis). A permanent colostomy is a surgical procedure for the worst case scenario, where the colon is removed and waste gets taken care of through a bag placed in surgical opening in the abdominal wall. If the spread of the cancer is particularly bad, then chemotherapy and radiation therapy are often prescribed as complementary medical treatments.
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