INTRODUCTION: Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine which is the lower part of your digestive system. It is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and is the leader of cancer deaths among non-smokers.
It is, in almost all cases, a treatable disease IF caught early. Truth: When colon cancer is caught early, it has a 95 percent survival rate. It may be nutritionally based. For example, the incidence is much higher in North America than in China, and the Chinese who migrate to North America have a higher incidence.
EARLY: Most colon cancers are predictable when diagnosed early. The fact is, screening prevents more deaths due to early detection than breast or prostate cancer screening. Other research is looking into multiple genes involvement in colon cancer and also at improving screening procedures so more cancers can be detected sooner.
This includes looking for markers in blood, stool or urine that might provide an easier screening method to detect early signs of colon cancer. In general, when treatment starts at an early stage, more than 90 percent of patients survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. However, only about 39% of colon cancer is found at an early stage.
SYMPTOMS: Symptoms may vary depending on where the cancer is located within the colon or rectum, although there may be no symptoms at all. Signs of colorectal cancer may include severe abdominal pain, blood in the stool or rectal bleeding, loss of weight for unknown reasons, or major changes in bowel habits (recurrent constipation and/or diarrhea).
In fact, the most common symptom is none at all, says Emina Huang, MD. But when these symptoms begin to develop, it may signal a more advanced stage of the disease. Half of all people diagnosed after symptoms begin will die. Finding the cancer before symptoms develop dramatically improves the patient’s chances of survival.
CONCLUSION: There’s no question that the earlier colon cancer is found, the more likely the patient will be cured with surgery. Although the cause is still unknown, there is evidence that most of these cancers arise from polyps (benign intestinal tumors).
It has been well demonstrated that if colorectal cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages, the cure rate could rise to 90%.