Colon Cancer is commonly called as a Colorectal Cancer. The Colon is also known as Large Intestine and it is the final part of the digestive tract. Main function of colon is to remove water, salt and some nutrients to form stool. Colon cancer develops in the large intestine. Colon and Rectal cancer are similar type of cancers.
Colon Cancer occurs when cells in the colon develop mutations in their DNA. These mutations cause cells to grow rapidly and uncontrollably. This accumulation of cells finally forms a tumor. In most of the cases, Colon cancer begin as small, noncancerous (benign) clumps of cells called as Adenomatous Polyps but over the time some of these polyps become Colon cancer. If Colon cancer is not treated on time then it spreads to nearby organs. This is one of the most complex types of cancer.
Dr Amit Chakraborty is a highly experienced, proficient and renowned Cancer Surgeon. He has treated lots of complex Colon Cancer cases successfully.
Symptoms of Colon Cancer
Most of the patients do not experience any specific symptoms at the early stage. Common symptoms of Colon Cancer include:
Causes of Colon Cancer
Changes in DNA of the cells or inherited gene mutations increase the risk of Colon cancer. The most common forms of inherited colon cancer syndromes are:
HNPCC is also called a Lynch syndrome. It increases the risk of Rectum and Colon cancer. People with HNPCC always have a higher risk of developing rectum and colon cancer before age 50.
FAP is a rare disorder that causes development of thousands of polyps in the lining of colon and rectum. People with untreated FAP always have a higher risk of developing colon cancer before age 40.
Risk factors for Colon Cancer
The unhealthy lifestyle can increase the risk of Colon cancer. Major risk factors include:
Prevention of Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is preventable by adapting healthy lifestyle. Important steps include:
Diagnosis of Colon Cancer
Early diagnosis of any cancer is always helpful to cure cancer completely. Various diagnosis methods include:
Treatment of Colon Cancer
Colon Cancer treatment is mainly depending on the type, stage and health conditions of patient. Colon cancer needs more than one treatment type. Colon cancer treatments are same as that of the other cancer treatment methods which mainly include:
Surgery
The main goal of Colon Cancer surgery is to prevent growth of cancerous cells. Cancer Surgeon decides surgery depending on the type and stage of cancer. Surgery is performed to remove cancerous polyps which are formed in the Colon. During Colonoscopy, doctor removes polyps in a very early stage. In endoscopic mucosal resection procedure, doctor removes larger polyps. If polyps are difficult to remove by colonoscopy method then doctor performs minimally invasive surgery to remove polyps. In case of cancer spreads in the colon then cancer surgeon performs partial colectomy to remove cancer affected part of the colon.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy beams from sources such as X-rays and protons to kill cancer cells. If surgery is not an option then Cancer Surgeon performs combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy as a primary treatment.
Chemotherapy
In Chemotherapy treatment, powerful drugs are used to kill cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is often used after the surgery to kill any cancer cells that remained in the body. It can be used alone or combined with radiation therapy.
Other important treatment options
Various major treatment types include Targeted drug therapy, Immunotherapy and palliative care. These therapies are mainly used to relive pain and to stop the growth of colon cancer.
Colon Cancer is preventable and curable. Today various advanced treatments are developed to cure and control Colon cancer. Dr Amit Cancer Care Clinic strictly follows all the medical standards for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer. Dr Amit Cancer Care Clinic is a well equipped with advanced medical technology to provide world class treatments to all types of cancer patients.