Early Detection Of Colon Rectal Cancer
Early Detection Of Colon Rectal Cancer
Given the reliable and the frequent testing, colon cancer has become one of the least dreadful cancers. This cancer if detected in its early stages can be completely cured.
To check if a patient is suffering from colon cancer, he has to undergo a test called the colonoscopy. This test helps to check for polyps that cause cancer. This test is especially important for people above the age of 50; it is because at that age there may be no symptom that cancer is spreading.
There are various symptoms that are associated with colon cancer. Some of them are having blood in the stool, diarrhea, and pain in the abdomen area and change in the bowel habits.
Although these are the major symptoms, there are also cases where the patients do not experience any of these abnormalities and still develop colon cancer; in such cases even a physical examination by the doctor is not sufficient to detect colon cancer.
The only fool proof way to detect this disease is by taking colonoscopy.
During the colonoscopy test, the doctor uses a video camera that is attached to thin flexible tube. You will be given shots during the test to reduce the pain and you will also be administered anesthesia to help you relax during the process.
During the process of conducting the test, the doctor might remove some of the polyps that he locates. The most unpleasant part of the test is not the test itself, but the preparation that it involves. The test precedes a complete cleaning of the colon.
When the doctor schedules your test, he will also give you an instruction on how to clean the colon, this generally involves taking pills and liquid laxatives. The doctors also advise avoiding solid foods for a day or two before the test.
There are various reasons that can make you susceptible to contracting colon cancer. You may have acquired colon cancer as a hereditary trait; there are also chances of developing colon cancer, if you have a history of having breast cancer or cancer in any other part of the body.
Your eating habits can also be the reason of you contacting the disease. People who take in a diet rich in fat and low in fiber are at higher risk of getting colon cancer, also red meat consumed in large quantities acts as a stimulant to acquiring this disease.
If you have been diagnosed with colon cancer, then there are lots of ways in which you can be completely cured. The simplest way is the removal of polyps during the test itself. If this is not possible, then your doctor will either use chemo therapy or radiation, both of which are equally effective in curing the disease.
Depending on the extent of the area infected, the doctor may have to perform surgery to remove the infected area. The success rates of these surgeries are quite high. In case you are ever advised by your doctor to undergo a colonoscopy, make sure not to delay it, this test does save life.