Description: There are five stages to colon cancer. The higher the stage the bigger the tumor is and worse the cancer is. If the cancer gets to stage five the cancer will spread to other organs.
Image copyright: http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/colon/Patient/page2
Colon cancer is when cells start dividing out of control around the colon, which is the first part of the large intestine. If you have colon cancer in your genes you have a higher risk of getting colon cancer. If someone in your family gets colon cancer before the age of 50, this increases your risk. This is so because you can have inherited one of two types of genetic disorders FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis) or HNPCC (hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer). You usually develop colon cancer when you older. (GSLC, 2008)
Symptoms
The symptoms of colon cancer are constipation, thin stool, stomach cramps, bloody stool, and unexplained weight loss, sense of fullness, vomiting, gas, bloating, and loss of iron. (Myers, 2008)
Genetics of this Disorder
The dad usually passes down the defective gene. The mom doesn't pass down the gene. The gene is dominant. The children have a fifty (50) percent chance of getting the defective gene, but this doesn't mean they will actually get colon cancer. (GSLC, 2008)
Treatment
One treatment of colon cancer is surgery. The doctor will use one of these types of surgeries to remove the cancer: local excision, resection, resection and colostomy, radiofrequency ablation (probe that kills cancer cells), or cryosurgery. Chemotherapy is another option for treatment. This is where doctors use drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells. The last treatment is radiation. In radiation doctors use high energy x-rays or any other type of radiation to kill or stop the growth of cancer cells. There is one other treatment that is being test in clinics right now which is biologic therapy. In biologic therapy is when the patient’s immune system is used to fight off the cancer cells. (NCI, 2007)
Prevention
To prevent colon cancer you should watch your diet. Red, yellow, orange, and green colored fruits or vegetables are high in antioxidants. These can help you from getting cancer. Folic acid is a good prevention in women since in 1999 an experiment was done with a large number of nurses over a 14 year period. It showed that folic acid help their bodies very much. Calcium will help prevent colon cancer. Meats and saturated fats also with fiber can help prevent cancer. The colon is in your digestive system, so plenty of food goes through there and that means you need to watch what you eat. (JSG, 2006)
