What is colon cancer? basic information

The cells can come from the colon itself and then we speak of primary cancer, or they can be cells that come from another organ or tissue and then we speak of secondary cancer or metastasis. The most common histological type of colon cancer is adenocarcinoma.

How does the disease occur

Different factors are known that may be involved or that may favor the development of colon cancer, including:

• Diet: excessive consumption of animal fats and red meat is associated with a higher probability of developing colon cancer
• Tobacco: long-term use
• Obesity. favors insulin resistance and an elevation of its blood levels, or an increase in fatty acids and triglycerides in the blood; all of them factors that have been shown to irritate the intestinal mucosa and favor the development of precancerous lesions.
• Alcohol: high consumption
• Lesions of the intestinal mucosa secondary to inflammatory bowel diseases such as Cronh or ulcerative colitis.

Symptoms

Colon cancer can be asymptomatic in the early stages of the disease. When it manifests symptoms, the most frequent depend on the location of the lesion and are usually:

• Proximal colon: chronic blood loss that does not change the appearance of the stool but can lead to chronic anemia with low levels of iron in the blood. They usually present with symptoms of anemia such as: fatigue, dyspnea, palpitations or angina.
• Distal colon: they tend to stenosis or occupy the intestinal lumen, producing symptoms of intestinal obstruction such as alternating diarrhea and constipation or colicky abdominal pain.
• Colorectal: they produce tenesmus, the emission of blood or stool mixed with blood through the rectum, as well as a decrease in the caliber of the stool due to obstruction.
• Other symptoms: unjustified weight loss.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of colon cancer is made by the general practitioner, the internist or the specialist in digestive pathology in the consultation of the medical center or hospital. The diagnosis of the initial stages of the disease is based on:

• Physical examination of the patient
• Symptomatology that presents
• Result of the complementary studies carried out, among which are a blood test that may show the presence of anemia or elevated tumor markers, the search for hidden blood in the stool or imaging studies such as a chest X-ray. or abdomen, the barium enema or the tomography that allows to visualize the lesion.
• Confirmatory diagnosis requires a biopsy with the help of an endoscope (colonoscopy) or a laparoscope.

How is the disease treated

There are different treatment options for stomach cancer, including:

• Surgery: complete removal of the tumor is the only treatment that has been shown to be curative
• Chemotherapy
• Palliative treatment
• The type of treatment to be carried out will depend on the extension of the tumor (if it is located only in the colon or on the contrary it is extended to other organs or tissues), if it is operable and the general condition of the patient.