Diets high in fat and sugars not only cause obesity but may also promote colorectal cancer.
Researchers at Temple University analyzed some previous studies on obesity and colorectal cancer and found that fat and sugar which can also lead to obesity, was the strongest factor which causes colorectal cancer.
Colon cancer
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?In people that have, there glucose metabolic pathways and insulin signaling pathways are running at completely different levels than people who don?t have colon cancer.? Said Carmen Sapienza, professor of pathology in the Temple?s Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology.
What is Cancer?
Cells are the building blocks of human body. When the cells in the body become old new cells grow to replace these dead cells. Our body form cells only when the body needs them, but sometimes this process of growing cells goes wrong. The new cells continue to grow even when the body doesn?t need them. This uncontrolled growth of new cells can cause cancer.
Colon Cancer
Colon cancer also known as bowel cancer forms in the tissues of the colon or rectum (end of the colon) which are part of the large intestine, this disease is also termed as colorectal cancer. Benign tumors of the large intestine which normally don?t spread are known as polyps. Polyps are harmless and can be treated by surgery. If these polyps grow in the large intestine and are not removed they become malignant which spreads to other parts of the body and damage those organs.
colon cancer
Symptoms of Colon Cancer
The common symptoms of colon cancer are;
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Fever
- Abdominal pain and cramps
- Weight loss
- Change in bowel habit is another sign
- Blood found in the stools
- A lump may grow in the tummy
- Deficiency of iron may be a sign of colon cancer
Ulcerative Colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis and Crohn?s disease may also be the symptoms of colon cancer. The symptoms of colon cancer vary depending on the location of tumor in the large intestine. Right colon cancer grows in large size and causes abdominal symptoms while left colon cancer can obstruct the bowel partially or completely.
colorecta_anatomy
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Causes of Colon Cancer
Following are the risk factors that may increase your chance of developing colon cancer.
- Age is a risk factor; most of the people with colorectal cancer are above 50.
- If you have many polyps in your colon and especially they are large in size you have a greater chance of developing this disease.
- Ulcerative colitis and Crohn?s disease both are inflammatory bowel diseases if you have one of them you may also have colon cancer.
- A family history of colon cancer.
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer are the two most common inherited syndromes responsible for colon cancer.
- Red meats such as liver, beef and lamb might increase the risk of colon cancer.
- Being very overweight
- Long-time smokers likely to get colon cancer.
- Use of alcohol and having type 2 diabetes.
- Regular exercise can prevent many diseases including colon cancer.
Diagnosing colon cancer
A physical exam cannot reveal colon cancer. Most of the people with early stage tumors have no symptoms of the disease. Tests for detection of colon cancer are fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or stool testing, Barium Enema, Virtual Colonoscopy, Sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy.
A positive fecal occult blood test does not mean that you must have colon cancer. A colonoscopy is the best option for the doctors to confirm colon cancer. Colon cancer can be biopsied during this test. For this purpose a small tissue is removed from the infected area through a kaleidoscope. The sample tissue is sent to the lab where pathologists diagnose cancer in the tissue samples.
treatment of colon cancer
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Treatments of colon cancer
Four types of treatments are available for colon cancer patients.
1.Surgery
Surgery is one of the most common treatment for colon cancer. For early stage cancer the doctor puts a tube into the colon through the rectum and cut the infected tissues out. This type of surgery is called Localexcision.
If the cancer is large in size, the doctors remove the cancer and also healthy tissues around it, to stop the development of cancer again, and then sew the healthy parts of the colon together. This process is known as Resection.
2.Chemotherapy
In chemotherapy drugs are used to kill the cancerous cells or to stop them from further division. The drug may be taken by mouth or injected into the muscle; the drugs after entering the bloodstream reach cancer cells. This type of chemotherapy is called systematic chemotherapy.
When the drugs are directly placed into an organ or a cavity like abdomen, the drugs affects only that part of the body. This type of therapy is known asRegional chemotherapy.
3.Radiation Therapy
High-energy X-rays or some other radiations are used in radiation therapy. In radiation therapy a machine may be used to send radiations and sometimes a radioactive substance is placed near the cancer.
4.Targeted Therapy
Drugs are used to identify and attack the infected cells without damaging the normal tissues. For colon cancer Monoclonal antibody therapy is used as a targeted therapy.
Prevention of Colon Cancer
?A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools?.
It is very important to take care of your health to prevent fatal diseases like colon cancer which can become life threatening. If you are concerned about your health and suspect yourself at greater risk to develop colon cancer, ask your doctor for an appropriate medical test.
Eat foods which contain Vitamins, Fiber, Minerals and Antioxidants, they may play a role in preventing cancer. If you are addicted to alcohol or cigarettes, try to quit these bad habits. Tobacco can increase the size of polyps.
by sheilaz413
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The use of some medications and surgery before developing colon cancer have been found to reduce the risk of this disease, but only recommended for the people who have a high risk of colon cancer.
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