An Overview of Colon Cancer

Our group has chosen to focus specifically on colon cancer for our project, mainly because one of our group members has a relative who has recently had it, and we will be interviewing her later in the project.

Cancer in general can be defined as a disease in which abnormal cells infiltrate different systems within the body, while replicating uncontrollably. Cancer can affect any area within the body and can also spread through the whole body.

Colon cancer is cancer which afflicts the large intestine, or colon. It is often seen in conjunction with rectal cancer, which occurs when the last six inches of the colon are infected. Generally, colon cancer begins when smaller polyps develop in the colon and these polyps eventually turn into colon cancer. These polyps often do not show symptoms, so screening is very important before these turn into cancer. Some symptoms of colon cancer include blood in the stool, abdominal pain, gas, bowel habit changes, and cramping. One of the biggest risk factors for colon cancer is age. A very large majority of people who are diagnosed with colon cancer are over the age of 50. Often, at this age, doctors will recommend colonoscopies or some other tests, which can help catch polyps before they develop into cancer. Another big risk factor is a family history of colon cancer. This disease is often thought to be genetic, so those with a parent or other close relative who have had the disease should be aware of their risk.

To treat colon cancer, doctors will generally have three main options. These are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Surgery is often what is tried first, and doctors will perform a colectomy to remove the part of the colon that has been affected. Depending on the stage of cancer and how spread it is, chemotherapy and radiation may be used as well. If the cancer has spread beyond the colon to the nearby lymph nodes or has breached the wall of the colon, chemotherapy may be used to destroy these remaining cancer cells left after surgery. If colon cancer is more advanced and has metastasized, radiation therapy can be used to make the tumors in the rest of the body smaller before an operation is done. There are also several drugs available for people with advanced stages of colon cancer to prevent new tumors from developing.

Information obtained from www.mayoclinic.com