Colon Carcinoma

Colon is the large intestine. And Carcinoma is another name for cancer. Therefore, the term Colon Carcinoma connotes to nothing else but the cancer of the large intestine. Colon cancer is also known as bowel cancer or colorectal cancer.

The term colon cancer is used to denote all kinds of cancerous growths not only in the large intestine, but also in the rectum and the appendix. Rectum is the final straightened portion of the large intestine, which terminates in the anus. The human rectum is approximately 12 cm long.

The appendix, in the human body, is a worm-shaped, blind-ended tube like structure, connected at the junction of the small intestine and the large intestine. It can be easily removed as it does not play any role in the human anatomy.

Colon cancer is the third most common form of cancer in the Western world. It is also the second leading cancer-related cause of death in the United States.

So, how does the cancer come about, in the first place?

Usually, about 93 percent of the colorectal cancers arise due to adenomatous colon polyps. Adenoma is the scientific name for a collection of growths of a glandular origin. Adenomas can grow from numerous organs in the body, some of them being the colon, pituitary, adrenal and thyroid.

The term polyp means a harmless growth or tumor, which protrudes from the mucous linings of any organ in the body such as the nose, intestine or the bladder, etc., thereby causing obstructions. Although these growths start out as benign, in due course of time, if untreated, they may develop into malignant ones and form a cancer.

How is it treated?

A localized colon cancer is treated through colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is the examination of the colon up to a depth of 4-5 feet in length through an endoscope. An endoscope is an instrument, which has a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera attached on a flexible tube. This tube is passed through the anus. Virtually the entire colon can be examined in this manner for ulcerations or polyps and the same can be removed.

Therapy of colon carcinoma is usually completed through colon surgery, followed by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the process of killing the unwanted and cancerous cells through chemicals.

The symptoms of colon cancer appear only once the cancer reaches its malignant stage. The typical symptoms are rectal bleeding, bloody stools, reduction in diameter of feces, a lingering feeling of incomplete defecation, stools with mucus, change in bowel habits, change in frequency characterized by diarrhea and/or constipation and, in rare cases, bowel obstruction. These symptoms become more prominent depending upon the nearness of the polyp to the anus.

One or the other colon cleanse system such as master cleanse, enema and dual action colon cleanse can be used as precautionary measures to colon carcinoma. It can very effectively save us from the onset of this disease to a great extent.