Treatment of Colon Cancer
Digital Rectal Examination and Stool Occult Blood Testing
As part of an annual check-up with your own doctor, a digital rectal examination to check your prostate can at the same time examine the lower rectum and detect any low-lying rectal tumours. This is done by inserting a gloved and lubricated index finger into the back passage area. This can be followed by an FOB (faecal occult blood) test, whereby a sample of faeces is sent away to a laboratory to be analysed for the presence of tiny speckles of blood. This can be an important screening test for colon cancers and polyps. Tumours of the colon and rectum tend to bleed slowly into the faeces and the small vardenafil australia amount of blood mixed into the faeces is usually not visible to the naked eye. A small amount of faecal sample is smeared on a special card for occult blood testing. Usually three consecutive faecal cards are collected. However, be aware many other conditions can cause occult blood in the faeces. It is also important to realise that if your faeces samples have tested negative for occult blood this does not necessarily mean the absence of colon cancer. Having said that, a man who tests positive for faecal occult blood is thought to have at least a 30 per cent chance of having a colon polyp and a 3 per cent chance of having colon cancer.
Treatment of Colon Cancer
Surgical removal of the affected part of the colon is usually the treatment of choice. After the operation, a colostomy bag would be attached to the skin surface of the stomach wall to collect the faeces. This can be temporary or permanent, depending on where the cancer is located. Treatment often also requires chemotherapy or radiotherapy, depending on the type of tumour and where it has spread to. Sometimes chemotherapy is done even before surgery to reduce the size of the tumour. The long-term prognosis is related to how far the cancer has spread before it is diagnosed, with men having tumours confined within the wall of the colon doing best.
How Can Bowel Cancer Be Prevented?
The best way to prevent bowel cancer is to eat a diet rich in fibre and fresh fruit and vegetables and low in animal fat. This means less red meat, less processed or cured meats such as bacon, sausages and ham, less fatty processed foods such as cakes, biscuits and chocolate, and less alcohol.
Fibre is the insoluble, non-digestible part of plant material present in fruits, vegetables and wholegrain breads and cereals. It is thought that lots of fibre in your diet leads to the creation of bulky stools that can rid the intestines of potential carcinogens. In addition, fibre speeds up the passage of faecal material through the colon, which allows less time for a potential carcinogen to react with the colon lining.
Apart from a healthy diet and lifestyle, the most effective way to prevent colon cancer is early detection and removal of pre-cancerous colon polyps. Of course, even in cases where cancer has already developed, early detection still significantly improves the chances of a cure by surgically removing the cancer before the disease spreads to other organs.
Regular physical exercise appears to be beneficial in terms of reducing the risk of colorectal cancer. Statins, which are used to treat high cholesterol, have recently been shown to possibly have a protective effect against bowel cancer. Taking supplements of folic acid may have some protective effect on colon cancer. Other agents being evaluated as possibly helping to prevent colon cancer include calcium, selenium and Vitamins A, C and E. More studies are needed before these agents can be recommended Sildenafil Canada for widespread use by the public to prevent colon cancer. Taking low-dose aspirin can also have some protective benefit against bowel cancer. However, the flip side of this is that regular aspirin can slightly increase your risk of bleeding. Discuss the potential benefits of low-dose aspirin with your family doctor.
Unfortunately, colon cancers can be well advanced before they are detected. Being aware of the early warning signs of bowel cancer is important, so you can seek immediate help if need be.