Everything you need to know about colon cancer

 Colon cancer develops when tumorous growths develop in the large intestine. It is now the third most common type of cancer in the United States.

The colon, or large intestine, is where the body draws out water and salt from solid wastes. The waste then moves through the rectum and exits the body through the anus.

Colon cancer is also the third most common cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. In fact, in 2019, the American Cancer Society (ACS) predict that 101,420 people in the U.S. will receive a new diagnosis of colon cancer.

Healthcare professionals recommend attending regular screeningsTrusted Source for colon cancer from the age of 50 years.

Colorectal cancer, which describes co-occurring colon cancer and rectal cancer, is also common. Rectal cancer originates in the rectum, which is the final several inches of the large intestine, closest to the anus.

In this article, we look at how to recognize and treat colon cancer, why it develops, and how to prevent it.

Symptoms

Colon cancer often causes no symptoms in the earliest stages. However, symptoms may become more noticeable as it progresses.

These signs and symptoms may include:

• diarrhea or constipation
• changes in stool consistency
• loose, narrow stools
• blood in the stool, which may or may not be visible
• abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, or gas
• continual urges to defecate despite passing stools
• weakness and fatigue
• unexplained weight loss
• irritable bowel syndrome
• iron deficiency anemia

If the cancer spreads to a new location in the body, such as the liver, it can cause additional symptoms in the new area.

Stages

There are different ways of assigning a stage to cancer. The stages indicate how far a cancer has spread and the size of any tumors.

In colon cancer, the stages develop as follows:

• Stage 0: Also known as carcinoma in situ, at this point, the cancer is in a very early stage. It has not grown farther than the inner layer of the colon and will usually be easy to treat.
• Stage 1: The cancer has grown into the next layer of tissue but has not reached the lymph nodes or any other organs.
• Stage 2: The cancer has reached the outer layers of the colon, but it has not spread beyond the colon.
• Stage 3: The cancer has grown through the outer layers of the colon, and it has reached one to three lymph nodes. It has not spread to distant sites, however.
• Stage 4: The cancer has reached other tissues beyond the wall of the colon. As stage 4 progresses, colon cancer reaches distant parts of the body.

Source: Medical News Today