Live Life Team
Bowel cancer is the cancer in the section of the digestive system. The part which is affected by it is the large bowel or also known as the rectum. Cancer is formed in small lumps around the lining of the bowel and grows due to the improper growth of the cells around the area. These lumps are normally tumours which go on to take a severe form with time. The condition has been affecting men and women on equal basis. The statistics show that normally people above 40 years of age are affected by this condition, and in UK, it is more than 35,000 people who might be affected by this condition. There are bowel cancer screening programs which are offered for men and women for finding out any change in bowel movements and any early symptoms which can be caught to diagnose the condition. Their chance of recovery and proper treatment is much better if the diagnosis is done in time. The cancer is also curable if found in the very early stages, especially for which those screening programs have been designed. The condition can be treated with the combined usage of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Symptoms
The initial symptoms would show up as blood in the stool, mucus or any changes in the bowel movements of the patient. They may also notice pain in the abdomen and discomfort related to it in related areas. In some cases, a swell around the abdomen may be noticed and weight loss without any reason starts happening, causing dismay and confusion. The symptoms remain the same, but the intensity increases as the tumour on the bowel lining grows in size. There have been cases when the cells which are cancerous in nature may obstruct or block the wall of bowel which can even result in stool obstruction and lot of pain.
Causes
The proper reasons behind this condition are still unknown but there are some that can be pointed out. The polyps, which are inside the bowel wall, can be one of the major reasons behind the condition. They could be either the harmless type of lumps or the ones which are cancerous in nature, causing the condition. High intake of fats, animal proteins in the diet could also be causing this condition. The factors like being overweight, smoking can increase chances of this condition for anyone.
Diagnosis
The doctor should be able to diagnose the condition during basic examination and questioning. They should be also able to check for any unusual swelling in the rectum. In case nothing is found by basic examination, they may want to conduct some additional tests to rule out the conditions causing similar symptoms. The bowel cancer screening is one step to diagnose the condition which is very useful in the treatment of the condition. There is faecal occult blood test which can test samples of stool and blood traces. In case those samples are found positive, they may want to do a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. These procedures would help in seeing inside the rectum and looking for any other abnormalities there to confirm the condition.
Treatment
The treatment is done on the basis of extent of the condition and stages of cancer development. The treatments would normally include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, combined with surgery.
