Live Life Team
Colorectal cancer, commonly called rectal cancer or colon cancer is a medical term used to describe cancer growing in any part of the digestive system. It usually affects the bowel or the rectum and is caused by unusual growth of cells on the inner walls of the bowel. Generally, small lumps called polyps form in the bowel, which are nothing but tumours. They can be either harmless (benign tumours) or cancerous (malignant tumours). If malignant tumours are not treated immediately, it may spread to other parts of the body too.
Symptoms
The symptoms of rectal cancer are similar to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or haemorrhoids (piles). Some of the symptoms are:
Passing blood with stools, especially if the blood is dark
Passing mucus with stools,
Changes in bowel movements, like diarrhoea or constipation
Pain or discomfort in the abdomen
If any of the aforementioned symptoms are experienced, one must visit the general physician immediately.
The symptoms worsen with time and the patient may feel extremely tired, and breathlessness for no reason at all. This may be because of microscopic bleeding in the bowel and may result in a case of anaemia. If the tumour is malignant then the symptoms do not occur until the condition has reached an advanced stage. It is therefore important that one keeps a regular check in the stools to see if there are any changes.
Causes
The exact cause of rectal cancer is not known, but the following are the factors that may cause rectal cancer.
Polyps – Polyps is one of the major reasons why people suffer from rectal cancer. They are usually found within the walls of the bowel. They can either be benign or malignant. Benign tumours are harmless in nature but malignant tumours are cancerous.
Age – Another major factor that is believed to cause rectal cancer is age. Research shows that the risk of getting rectal cancer increases with age and a majority of people who get rectal cancer are above the age of 60.
Family History – The genes may also play a significant role in determining if you are prone to rectal cancer or not. If there has been a history of rectal cancer cases in the family then it is important for you to consult a general physician and get your family members checked to determine if someone has an increased risk of getting rectal cancer.
Diet – There has been some evidence which points out that people who have large amounts of meat and low fibre are prone to rectal cancer.
Lifestyle – No exercise, smoking and obesity can also increase your chances of getting colon cancer.
Medical Conditions – Certain medical conditions like inflammation of intestines and inflammation of gut (Crohn’s disease) can also trigger growth of colon cancer.
Diagnosis
The condition can be found out by a GP by examining the rectum of the patient. The stool can be sampled and tested to check if there are traces of blood. It is important to know that this test is to see if further examination is to be done and the results do not indicate if there is rectum cancer. If the stool contains blood then colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy will be done to locate the cancer.
Treatment
Treatment options are surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
