A Complete Guide on Bowel Cancer

What is bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer, also called colorectal cancer, arises from the lining of the bowel and is typically preceded by growths known as polyps. If left untreated, polyps can develop into invasive cancer. Bowel cancer may also be referred to as rectal or colon cancer, depending on where the disease first appears.

Adenocarcinomas, the most common type of bowel cancer, begin in the colon's epithelial tissues and account for about 90% of all cases. Lymphoma and neuroendocrine tumors, two less prevalent cancers, can also affect the bowel. Small bowel cancer is rare that can potentially begin in the bowel.

Bowel cancer is the third most frequent cancer among men in the UK, accounting for over 9,200 deaths annually.

Bowel cancer symptoms

Bowel cancer's early warning signs and symptoms can be simple to overlook, although they may include the following:

Blood in your stools or rectum (back channel)
a recent, persistent change in bowel habits, such as constipation, looser stools, more frequent bathroom visits, or unusually narrow stools
unexplained weight loss, cramps, or bloating in the abdomen
unexplained fatigue (which may also be due to anemia)

Visit your physician if you experience any of these signs. Never overlook bleeding from the rectum in particular.

What causes bowel cancer

Your body's cells are all constantly dividing, growing, and dying. Your body maintains its health and functionality in this manner. When you have colon cancer, the cells that line your colon and rectum continue to grow and divide even though they should be dying. These malignant cells could have originated from colon polyps.

Why some people get precancerous colon polyps that turn into colon cancer is unknown to medical professionals. They are aware that several risk factors raise a person's risk of acquiring colon cancer and precancerous polyps.

Those risk factors and lifestyle choices include:

Smoking
Excessive alcohol use
Having obesity
A diet that includes more than usual red and processed meat
Less exercise

Screening for bowel cancer

To help discover bowel cancer early, when it can frequently be treated, bowel screening is provided to men and women. A quick test must be completed at home for bowel screening every two years. The test searches for undetected blood in your feces since this may indicate an increased risk of colon cancer.

How does your doctor find out about bowel cancer?

After a detailed examination of symptoms and causes, your doctor will advise you to have a digital rectal exam (DRE). To check for abnormalities, the doctor feels your rectum with a gloved, lubricated finger.

Your physician might also recommend other tests, such as:

Colonoscopy: During a colonoscopy, a little tube with a light on the end is inserted via the anus into the colon and rectum to examine the inside in detail. A biopsy can be performed on any suspicious lump (mass) or growth (polyp) to determine whether it contains cancer cells.
Biopsy: this process involves the removal of a tiny bit of tissue from the suspected cancerous area. Cancerous cells are screened for in the tissue. The best approach to finding out if you have cancer is this way.
CT or CAT scan: An x-ray is similar to a CT or CAT scan, except the images of your internal organs are more detailed. Additionally, CT scans can assist with a biopsy and reveal whether cancer has spread.
Ultrasound: An ultrasound moves a tiny wand across your skin. It emits sound waves and detects the echoes created when those sounds hit tissues. A picture is created from the echoes on a computer screen. It is utilized to detect and aid in finding cancer.
Gene and protein tests: The biopsy tissue's cancer cells may be examined for genes or proteins such as KRAS, BRAF, MMR, and MSI. The doctor can determine whether or not to use targeted therapy or immunotherapy treatments by knowing which genes or proteins your cancer contains.

Other tests may also be performed to determine the size of the cancer and whether it has spread, including MRI scans, x-rays, and blood tests.

Treatment

Depending on where in the colon the cancer is and how far it has gone, various treatments can be used to treat bowel cancer.

The primary therapies are:

Surgery: in which the diseased portion of the colon is removed, is the most effective treatment for bowel cancer and is frequently all that is required.
Chemotherapy: the killing of cancer cells with drugs
Radiation: is used in radiotherapy to kill cancer cells.
Biological therapies: a more recent class of drugs that improve chemotherapy's efficacy and stop cancer spread.

The likelihood of a full recovery varies, as with most cancer types, on how far along the disease is when it is discovered.

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