Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Around 1000 patients die daily from cancer complications in the United States alone while approximately 2.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the dreaded disease in 2007. Characterized by abnormal cell division and growth, there is still no known cause of cancer. Genetics, chemical exposure and lifestyle are just some of the risk factors in cancer.

One of the many types of cancer is colon cancer, which primarily affects a person’s bowels or large intestines. As shown by quite a number of studies, people with colon cancer are said to be excessive smokers or drinkers, have inflammatory bowel disease or are obese. People considered to be at risk for colon cancer are advised to undergo regular colon cancer screenings. Theses screenings aid in the prevention of the development of colon cancer. They are very helpful because they are the basis as to what medications to take or treatments to undergo for colon cancer to be avoided.

There are a number of symptoms to look out for in colon cancer. A gastroenterologist should be consulted should you have any or all of the systems so you could be evaluated for colon cancer as soon as possible.

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– Irregular bowel movements: People suspected to have colon cancer experience less or more bowel movements with constipation being the case more often. The reason for this is the possible obstruction of a tumor in the bowel making regular bowel movement difficult.

–Stomach Cramps: Because your bowel is obstructed, stomach cramps and sometimes even bloating could be experienced. The bowel could also be perforated by the growing tumor giving you pain and discomfort.

–Bloody Stool: You might also see blood in your stools. The blood could sometimes be present in an unnoticeable amount while there are also cases when you move really bloody bowels. To really confirm the presence of blood in your stool, a fecal occult blood test should be performed.

–Unexplained weight loss: This one of the most classic signs of cancer. If you notice yourself losing weight without your even trying, you should go to your doctor at once.

–Fatigue: Unexplained tiredness is just another symptom of colon cancer that one should look out for. This symptom is linked by some experts iron deficiency or anemia. If this happens to you, you should undergo a series of blood works to make sure.

–Nausea and vomiting: You might feel nauseous and vomit for no reason at all because of the tumor in the area of your colon.

–Gassy Abdomen: The obstruction caused by the tumor at the colon results in the air to be trapped inside.

Colon cancer can be diagnosed through rectal examination or through colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. The digital rectal exam is to check for abnormal areas in your rectum while colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy is the process of taking endoscopic images of your colon. This is performed through the insertion of a lighted device that resembles a camera or a video in your rectum after which the images taken are transmitted to a monitor. This test is very accurate and actually differentiates a polyp from a tumor.

The key against colon cancer is early diagnosis because if detected early, it can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The chances for survival in colon cancer are higher for people who are diagnosed at the early stages of the disease. This makes it necessary for persons having symptoms of colon cancer to be evaluated the soonest time possible by a specialist.

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