Any kind of cancer is almost synonymous with disease and death and colon cancer, also referred to as colorectal cancer, is another such dangerous disease. It develops innocuously, often without any forewarning and very often there is an absence of any obvious symptoms. Give the prevalence of this disease it is important that every individual, especially those who are high risk, should arm themselves with adequate knowledge about the signs of colon cancer as well as the treatment options available.
Symptoms of colon cancer include presence of blood in the stools and bleeding of the rectum. Some of the other signs of colon cancer could include change in bowel regularity, benign polyps in the colon, a decrease in stool size, cramps, unexplained weight loss, vomiting, the existence of pain in the stomach and continuous fatigue. These are the signs you should look for if you suspect that you could possibly be developing colon cancer.
But the unfortunate truth is that an individual can have colon cancer and not exhibit any of the mentioned symptoms. Unfortunately, this happens way too often. A physical exam usually doesn't show any problems and the doctor only suspects colon cancer and calls for a screening if a routine exam reveals a mass of tissues that is usually felt through the abdomen. Currently a screening of the colon, or a colonoscopy is the only way of getting a view of the entire colon and determining the extent of the abnormality.
Even then, polyps within the colon are not always suggestive of cancer. Colon cancer's symptoms are further ambiguous as even blood in the stool isn't always suggestive of colon cancer. It is thus reasonable for the medical industry to assign risk factors to certain events in an individual's life. One of these events is an individual's age. A person's age is the major risk factor even though colon cancer doesn't only occur for those over fifty. It is just that one's chances are higher at that age when most signs and symptoms of colon cancer tend to appear.
Individuals who are high risk for colon cancer include those who have a family history of cancer, irrespective of the kind of cancer. Polyps that are in the colon are also signs of colon cancer, but must be properly diagnosed by a health professional.
If you are above the age fifty, and wish to know more about colon cancer, the Center for Disease Control has a program for those individuals who are more than fifty years of age and who have little or no health insurance. The number to call for any help, is 1-800-4-CANCER. Since colon cancer is such a widespread problem, the program helps to offer screenings for the disease. There are estimates that over 52,000 people lost their lives to colon and rectal cancer in 2007 in the United States alone. Learning to recognize the signs of colon cancer is the best cure against this killer disease.
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