Modern Health Observation

Posts Tagged ‘colon’

Given the association of colon cancer with lifestyle habits such as sedentary lifestyle, obesity, regular intake of red meat, or smoking, the main recommendations for cancer prevention in the general population are:

* Folate-rich diet (vegetables) and calcium (milk and derivatives), and low in fat and red meat.
* Leaving snuff consumption and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption.
* Perform regular exercise.

In medium-risk patients, ie older than 50 years without symptoms or family history, according to the criterion of your doctor may be appropriate to make, as appropriate:

* Fecal Occult Blood: 1 time per year, and if the result is positive, colonoscopy should be performed.
* Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.
* FOBT with flexible sigmoidoscopy: FOBT annually and sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, which if performed first match fecal occult blood.
* Colonoscopy every 10 years.
* Barium enema double contrast every 5 years.

The recommendation for regular screening tests in patients with colorectal cancer risk depends on the level of risk:

*Increased risk of colorectal cancer, ie patients with first-degree relative with colon cancer or adenomatous polyps diagnosed before age 60 or suffering from colon cancer in several relatives: it is recommended to conduct the study with colonoscopy every 5 years starting at age 40.

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How is it diagnosed?

The clinical history, with the description of symptoms or family history is always essential in suspected colon cancer. Among the tests to be performed, colonoscopy is the diagnostic method of choice, is the most sensitive and specific, and allows for biopsy and resection of polyps.

Other tests are useful in specific cases, such as barium enema to study intestinal areas inaccessible by colonoscopy, or CT, which allows evaluating the presence of metastases or involvement of adjacent organs and glands. May also be necessary radiography, MRI or ultrasound to facilitate the identification of metastases in certain areas.

The study of fecal occult blood test is a rapid, first line, before the suspected diagnosis of possible colon cancer, and the study of tumor markers in the blood, which have a prognostic value or to suspect the persistence of tumor after surgery.

How is it treated?

Surgical treatment with removal of the tumor, is the only curative treatment. The extent of the area to remove depends on the degree of progress or extent of the tumor, since the removal of a polyp if the cancer does not invade the intestinal mucosa yet to surgical resection of the colon. In very advanced tumors and may be necessary to complement surgical treatment with chemotherapy.

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What is colon cancer?

The colon is part of the digestive tract between the small intestine and rectum which occurs in fluid absorption from the intestinal contents and feces are formed. Colon cancer is currently an important public health problem in developed countries. It is the fourth most common cancer in the world. In Spain, there are approximately 19,000 new cases each year.

What are its causes?

It is a cancer whose incidence and mortality is higher in industrialized countries. Approximately 80% of cases are sporadic, but 20% have a genetic influence, with increased familial risk in the need for greater monitoring and control.

Age is a key risk factor, with a sharp increase in incidence after age 50. The presence of a first degree relative who has had double the risk, and quadrupled if the diagnosis of cancer occurred before 60 years of age. The increased incidence is closely related to lifestyle in industrialized countries.

There are different risk factors in relation to colon cancer: the consumption of fats and red meats, especially canned meats or deli meats, obesity, smoking and high alcohol consumption and diabetes associated with obesity . Patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is most at risk with respect to the general population, especially in Crohn’s disease (risk 20 times higher).
What are the symptoms?

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