What is colon cancer?
Introduction
Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers . Colon is the largest part of the large large intestine .It forms the last part of digestive system. It is 5 feet long and consists of ascending colon , transverse colon , descending colon and cecum.Depending upon the depth of tumour in the colonic wall and their spread to neighbouring and distant organs they are divided into stage I , II , III and IV. Stage IV is the worst when the cancer has spread to other organs.
Diagnosis
To diagnose colon cancer one requires to undergo colonoscopy and biopsy of the growth. For final staging of the disease CT scan and or MRI is required. Biopsy involves removing a small piece of tissue from the colon while the patient is undergoing biopsy and is. Sent to pathologist for diagnosis.
Colonoscopy is a device which looks like thin tube with camera and light at its end .This part is gently inserted into the anus through your large intestine till it reaches caecum. Before colonscopy one has to take enema on the night before and generally be on liquid diet. The patient is generally asked to wear a gown and lie on his side while the procedure is performed. The entire procedure takes 45-60 minutes.
Treatment
Depending upon the stage of the disease the main therapeutic options are surgery and chemotherapy .Stage I and II may be treated only with surgery but certain types of stage II and beyond will require chemotherapy .
- Surgery
Surgery of colon to remove the section of colon which has cancer is called Colectomy and the two cut ends of colon are sutured together by process called anastomosis. In many cases one end of the colon is attached to an opening on the surface of abdomen called as colostomy or stoma . the stool comes out through this stoma and is collected in a pouch .
Are given in the form of injections which are given in the form of cycles with period of rest in between .The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the type of drugs , duration of treatment and dose of the drugs . Common side effects are diarrhoea,hair loss, loss of appetite mouth ulcers etc
Certain patients benefit from targeted therapy and immunotherapy .
For any further queries you can contact any of the oncologist on this platform .
