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The initial portion of the large intestine is called colon and it plays a vital role in absorbing the nutrients from the food. Colon cancer is more likely to affect people over 50 years of age and those having a family history of rectum or colon cancer, crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis etc.
Whenever you notice a change in normal bowel movements or blood in stool, constipation, diarrhea, narrow stools, frequent cramps, fullness of abdomen, bloating, weight loss without any proper etiology, etc., you should undertake a checkup to ensure that you are not suffering from this disease.
The routine tests to differentially diagnose this disease are physical examination, digital rectal examination, fecal occult blood test, barium enema, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, biopsy and virtual colonoscopy.
These tests help to detect any abnormalities of the digestive tract. Depending upon the stage of cancer, doctors recommend the treatment. There are four types of standard treatment for colon cancer and they are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapy.
4 Treatments For Colon Cancer
Surgery
In this procedure the cancerous growth is removed from the colon and is the commonly used treatment in all the stages of colon cancer. There are different types of surgical method followed such as local excision, resection, resection and colostomy, cryosurgery etc.
Local excision is done by putting a tube through the rectum to remove the cancerous growth and is usually practiced if the cancer is in early stages. If the cancer is at advanced stage, surgeons remove the cancerous growth along with some adjacent tissues and then join together the healthy parts of colon.
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If the cancer is in advanced stage and if the healthy joints can’t be sewed together, an opening is made on the side of the body to collects the body waste. A bag is placed at the opening for this purpose, which may be temporary or permanent based on the patient’s condition. In cryosurgery, an instrument is used to freeze and destruct the cancerous tissues.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is used to stop the growth of the cancerous cells by stopping their division or by killing the cells.
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Usually the medicine used in chemotherapy is injected into the muscles or vein, which then enters the blood stream and destroys all the cancerous cells in the body. If the drug is directly injected to a body cavity or to an organ then it destroys the cancerous cells in that region or organ only.
Radiation Therapy
This type of treatment uses X-rays or other radiations to destroy the cancerous growth. Radiation therapy is of two types, external and internal.
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During external radiation, radiation is done from a machine kept outside the body, while in case of internal radiation radioactive materials concealed in catheters, wires, seeds, needles etc. are placed inside the body.
Targeted Therapy
This kind of treatment uses certain substances and drugs to identify and destroy the cancer cells without affecting the healthy tissues. This treatment is used in advanced stage of colon cancer.
Apart from following the standard treatments, patients can also choose alternative treatments such as exercise, art therapy, movement therapy, meditation, relaxation exercises etc. to redirect the thoughts and ward off the fears, as reduced stress facilitates faster recovery.
Photo Credit: Betterhealthresearch.com/news/men-with-type-2-diabetes-may-be-more-likely-to-develop-colon-cancer-800125527/
Once the treatment is completed, follow a well-balanced diet and exercise regimen. Follow regular checkups to rule out the chances of recurrence of cancer.
Photo Credit: Signsofcoloncancerinwomen.com/colon-cancer-treatment
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