Be Colon Carcinoma: An Overview

If you are notice symptoms like changes in the bowel habits, loss in appetite and weight, blood in the stool, then the disease you suffer from may be colon carcinoma. It may cause cancerous growth in the abdomen, the pancreas and the large intestine.

There are certain factors that increase the risk of developing the disease. Adenomatous polyp is one of the major factors that increase the risk of developing colon carcinoma. The chances of developing colon carcinoma may increase if you have a family history of benign or malignant tumors in the colon. Long standing of chronic ulcerative colitis also tends to increase the risk of developing the disease. Women who have carcinoma of breast or uterus are at a high risk of developing colon carcinoma.

The presence of the disease is rarely found amongst the children. It occurs usually with adults. The peak age when the risk of developing the disease is usually between 50-70 years. In fact, it is the one of the most common cancer in the adults. Around 140,000 cases are registered every year in the U.S. which again proves that it is the most frequently occurring disease.

These tumors may occur at any site in the large intestine. It could be in the rectum, sigmoid, ascending colon, cecum, transverse or descending colon. With advancing years, the disease becomes more common in the right colon. Those who suffer from chronic ulcerative colitis have a greater tendency of tumor occurrence in he left colon.

Various treatments are adopted in order to treat the disease. These include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The most common treatment of the disease is colon surgery. When carcinoma in the colon is detected at an early age, the tumor can be removed by the doctor with the help of a colonoscopy. In most of the cases, colon surgery is required to treat the disease.

Chemotherapy is another treatment adopted to treat the disease. It literally means chemical treatment. It helps the body to kill the cancer cells and prevent them from dividing. It is usually recommended to treat the stage 3 and 4 of the disease. The commonly chemotherapy drugs used are oxalipaltin, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil.

Radiation therapy is avoided and rarely used.

Those who are suffering from this disease should keep the energy intake to less than 2500 kilo calories per day in males and less than 2000 kilo calories per day in females. The dietary fat should be less than 25 percent of the total calorie intake. This helps to prevent carcinoma. It is important to increase the quantity of poorly soluble cereal fibers and vegetable diet high in folate. It is also important to quit smoking and drinking alcohol to stay fit and healthy.

If you may be having colon carcinoma, opt for the ebst medical help. Remember, dont lose hope. There is always a silver lining in the cloud.