Colon cancer.. 8 warning signs that reveal the infection

21:01

Saturday 10 December 2022

I wrote – Asmaa Morsi

There are different stages of colorectal cancer and spotting the signs and symptoms of the condition is one way to stop the disease from progressing any further.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world.

Initially, polyps may develop in the colon and rectum, and over time, these benign tumors can develop into colon cancer.

Colorectal cancer stages:

Stage 0: Also known as localized carcinoma, this is the first stage of colorectal cancer. In this stage, cancer cells begin to develop in the inner lining of the colon or rectum.

Stage 1: In this stage, the disease begins to penetrate the lining of the colon or rectum and grow into the muscle layer. However, in this stage, the disease does not reach the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.

Stage 2: The cancer begins to spread to the walls of the colon/rectum as well as nearby tissue and the wall.

Stage III: The disease begins to spread to the lymph nodes, but does not spread to other parts of the body.

The fourth stage: It is considered to be the last stage of the disease, as this disease starts spreading to other parts of the body such as the liver, lungs or other organs.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of the disease change depending on the stage of the cancer. If you have stage 0 colorectal cancer, your symptoms will be different than those with stage 3 of the disease. Here are some common symptoms you may notice:

diarrhea.

blood in the stool

abdominal pain

constipation.

Changes in stool color.

bleeding from the rectum

gas rise

swelling

Some of these symptoms may also be the result of other health conditions, however, if symptoms persist, you should see a specialist immediately, to prevent the spread of the disease and for colon cancer screening.

Symptoms of stages 3 and 4 may differ from those of early stages. Here are some of the symptoms of advanced stages of cancer.

severe weakness

Excessive weight loss.

excessive tiredness

A feeling that your bowels are not completely empty.

He retched.

As the cancer spreads to other parts and organs of the body, you may also notice the following symptoms:

shortness of breath.

Bone fractures.

Chronic headache.

Swelling of the hands and feet.

Yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Difficulty seeing.

Types of colorectal cancer:

There is more than one type and it depends on the type of cells that become cancerous.

Other types of cancer develop due to the formation of tumors.

Carcinoids: These are tumors that begin to develop in hormone-producing cells within the intestines.

Sarcomas: These are tumors that develop in the soft tissue of the colon or rectum, such as muscle.

Lymphoma: These are cancers that develop in the lymph nodes or colon.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: These are tumors that first develop to be benign and later become cancerous.

– Methods of treatment:

There are several types of treatments, each of which depends on the stage of the disease.

1- Surgery:

There are different types of surgery and it depends on the stage of the cancer, if it is in the early stages, the specialist doctor will recommend surgery to remove benign tumors or cancerous cells.

However, if the disease has reached advanced stages, surgery may be required in which the affected part of the colon and rectum is removed and also a separate way for waste to be removed from the body.

2- Radiotherapy:

Doctors use radiation to kill cancer cells, usually before surgery to reduce the size of the cancer cells. Radiation and chemotherapy may also be advised if surgery is not an option.

3- Immunotherapy:

It is a type of drug treatment that enables the immune system to fight cancer and is usually recommended for people who have advanced stages of the disease.

4- Chemotherapy:

In this type of treatment, there are drugs used to destroy cancer cells. This procedure is usually used after surgery and when the disease has spread to the lymph nodes and to reduce the size of the tumor.