What kind of disease is colon cancer?

Colon tumor refers to a tumor that occurs in the human colon. Tumors that appear in the intestines are similar and have a relatively high incidence rate. In addition to occurring in the stomach, intestines and rectum, colon cancer is also a relatively common type of tumor. The general population suffering from colon cancer is mainly over 40 years old. The incidence rate of patients under 30 years old is about 15%. The incidence rate in men is higher than that in women, and the normal ratio of men to women is 3:1. Men's bodies are more prone to intestinal infections due to excessive fatigue, careless diet, and lack of attention to hygiene in the lower body. The incidence rate of colon tumors is very high. In my country, most of them will lead to decreased sexual function, decreased excretion function, psychological disorders, and affected social activities. Active diagnosis and treatment are needed in the early stages, self-screening, and regular physical examinations are required.

Introduction

Colon cancer: (carcinoma of rectum) is a common malignant tumor in the gastrointestinal tract. Its incidence rate is second only to stomach and esophageal cancer. It is the most common part of colorectal cancer (accounting for about 60%). The vast majority of patients are over 40 years old, and those under 30 years old account for about 15%. It is more common in men, with a male to female ratio of 2-3:1

According to clinical observation, some intestinal cancers occur on the basis of rectal polyps or schistosomiasis; chronic inflammation of the intestine can induce cancer; a high-fat and high-protein diet causes increased bile acid secretion, which is decomposed into unsaturated polycyclic hydrocarbons by anaerobic bacteria in the intestine, which can also cause cancer.

High incidence of colon cancer

Every year, there are 930,000 new cases of colorectal cancer in the world, and 130,000 to 160,000 new cases in my country. The incidence of colorectal cancer is second only to gastric cancer among digestive tract tumors. The current prevalence of colorectal cancer in my country is as high as 46.8/100,000. Colorectal cancer has become one of the three major cancers in China, and its incidence is spiraling at a rate of 4.2%, far exceeding the international level of 2%. There is another obvious feature of colorectal cancer in my country: the age of onset is mostly between 40 and 60 years old, with an average age of 48.3 years old, which is 10 to 15 years earlier than that of Westerners. Young patients are more common in my country than in Europe and the United States, and colorectal cancer patients under 30 years old are not uncommon.

Severity of colon tumors

The quality of life after colorectal cancer surgery is significantly reduced, including: decreased sexual function and excretion function, increased psychological disorders, and reduced social activities; colorectal cancer is so common, but most patients are already in the late stage when they are discovered, and have lost the best time for treatment, resulting in a very low 5-year survival rate for colorectal cancer patients after diagnosis; in my country, one person dies from colorectal cancer every 5 minutes.

Early detection of colon cancer can prevent and treat

Colorectal cancer is not unpreventable. In fact, colorectal cancer is the disease that is easiest to self-screen for, and it is also the most curable disease if detected early. Colorectal cancer grows very slowly and has a long incubation period. 93% of colorectal cancers originate from adenomas (a precancerous lesion), and it takes 5 to 7 years for adenoma to develop into cancer. US studies have shown that annual fecal occult blood testing can reduce the mortality rate from colorectal cancer by 33%.

Although colorectal cancer is preventable and curable, in my country, more than 80% of patients have already developed to the middle or late stages when diagnosed, and the early diagnosis rate is only 10-15%. Domestic surveys show that the survival rate after surgery for early colorectal cancer is over 90-95%, while for late-stage cancer it is only 5%.

Bowel cancer symptoms

The main clinical features of early colorectal cancer are bloody stools and changes in bowel habits. When the cancer is limited to the rectal mucosa, bloody stools are the only early symptom accounting for 85%. Unfortunately, it is often not taken seriously by patients. During the rectal examination, a lump can be felt in most cases. In addition to the common systemic symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia, etc., patients with middle and late stage intestinal cancer also have local irritation symptoms of the cancer such as increased frequency of bowel movements, incomplete bowel movements, frequent urge to defecate, tenesmus, etc. The growth of the tumor can cause narrowing of the intestinal lumen and signs of intestinal obstruction.

In the late stage, colorectal cancer often invades surrounding tissues and organs, such as the bladder and prostate, causing frequent urination, urgency and difficulty urinating. It invades the presacral plexus, causing sacral and lumbar pain. Rectal cancer can also metastasize to the liver, causing symptoms such as liver enlargement, ascites, jaundice, and even cachexia.

Colon tumors are easily misdiagnosed. In the early stages, when the frequency of bowel movements increases and the stool contains mucus, pus and blood, it is easy to misdiagnose as diseases such as dysentery, enteritis or hemorrhoids, thus losing the opportunity for early radical treatment and resection.

Causes of Bowel Cancer

1. Chronic intestinal inflammation. 2. Intestinal adenoma becomes cancerous. 3. Diet and carcinogens.

Bowel cancer (tumor) stages:

If a patient is diagnosed with cancer, the doctor should determine the stage of bowel cancer. Doctors may need to do other tests to determine the stage of the cancer. Knowing the stage of the cancer, doctors can determine the best treatment.

Stage 0 : The cancer is in its early stages and is only in the innermost layer of the intestine.

Stage 1: Cancer cells have invaded many areas of the colon lining.

Stage II: Cancer cells have spread beyond the intestines to surrounding tissues but have not spread to the lymph nodes.

III: Cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes but have not spread to other parts of the body.