Colon Cancer: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

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🔬 What is Colon Cancer?

Colon cancer (also known as colorectal cancer when it involves both colon and rectum) is a type of cancer that begins in the large intestine (colon), the final part of the digestive tract. Most colon cancers begin as small, benign (noncancerous) clumps of cells called polyps, which can become cancerous over time.

📌 Signs and Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer may not cause symptoms in its early stages. As it progresses, signs can include:

🚨 Common Symptoms:

  1. Changes in bowel habits:
    • Diarrhea or constipation
    • A change in the consistency of stool
    • Narrow or pencil-thin stools
  2. Blood in stool or rectal bleeding:
    • Bright red or very dark blood
  3. Persistent abdominal discomfort:
    • Cramping, gas, or pain
  4. Feeling that the bowel doesn’t empty completely
  5. Unexplained weight loss
  6. Fatigue and weakness
  7. Iron deficiency anemia (especially in men or postmenopausal women)

🩺 Causes and Risk Factors

✅ Risk Factors Include:

  • Age (50+ years)
  • Family history of colon or rectal cancer
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis)
  • Diet high in red or processed meats
  • Low-fiber, high-fat diet
  • Obesity
  • Smoking and heavy alcohol use
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Type 2 diabetes

🧪 Diagnosis

  1. Colonoscopy – gold standard for detection and biopsy
  2. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) – detects hidden blood in stool
  3. Stool DNA test
  4. Sigmoidoscopy
  5. CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy)
  6. Biopsy – confirmation under microscope
  7. Blood tests:
    • CBC (anemia)
    • CEA (Carcinoembryonic antigen) marker for monitoring

🧬 Staging of Colon Cancer

  • Stage 0: In situ (confined to inner layer)
  • Stage I: Grown into the colon wall but not beyond
  • Stage II: Spread through colon wall, no lymph nodes
  • Stage III: Spread to nearby lymph nodes
  • Stage IV: Spread to distant organs (liver, lungs)

💉 Treatment Options

🎯 1. Surgery (Primary Treatment)

  • Polypectomy – for early cancers
  • Colectomy – removal of part or all of the colon
  • Lymph node removal – essential for staging

🎯 2. Chemotherapy

  • Often used after surgery (adjuvant) or before surgery (neoadjuvant) for:
    • Stage III and IV
    • Drugs include 5-FU, oxaliplatin, capecitabine

🎯 3. Radiation Therapy

  • More common in rectal cancer than colon cancer
  • Used pre- or post-surgery

🎯 4. Targeted Therapy

  • For advanced cancer with specific genetic mutations
  • Examples:
    • Bevacizumab (Avastin) – anti-angiogenesis
    • Cetuximab, Panitumumab – for EGFR mutation

🎯 5. Immunotherapy

  • For MSI-H (Microsatellite instability-high) or dMMR (mismatch repair-deficient) cancers
  • Drugs: Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab

📅 Follow-up and Monitoring

  • Regular colonoscopy to check for recurrence
  • CEA blood test for monitoring
  • CT scans and physical exams every 3–6 months initially

🥗 Prevention Tips

  • Get regular colorectal screenings starting at age 45–50
  • Eat a high-fiber, low-fat diet
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Exercise regularly
  • Quit smoking and limit alcohol
  • Manage diabetes and inflammatory bowel diseases
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