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Bowel Cancer |
 
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Bowel cancer forms in the tissues of the colon (the longest part of the large intestine) or rectum (the last several inches of the large intestine before the anus). It is commonly otherwise referred to as colorectal or colon cancer. Presenting symptoms: Blood in stools is the most commonly experienced colon cancer symptom, other symptoms may include abdominal pain and/or discomfort, pain in the back passage, unexplained weight loss, diarrhoea or constipation for no obvious reason (find out more). UK incidence: At present, colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer whereas in men it comes as the third most common form of malignancy after prostate and lung cancer. Overall, the lifetime risk for men of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer is estimated to be one in eighteen and for women to be one in twenty. Every year, over 35,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the UK of which about two-thirds accounts for colon and one-third for rectal cancer.- read more Types: Colorectal cancer comes in many forms. Most colorectal cancer are adenocarcinomas (cancer that originates in the glandular tissue). Type can be refer to the grade (how aggressive the cells look) or completely different type of cancer including the rare lymphoma, sarcoma, melanoma and neuroendocrine tumours (find out more). Risk factors: In most cases there are no predisposing risk factors but there is some evidence of associations with poor diet, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, family history of colorectal cancer, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, obesity (find out more). Tests to determine a diagnosis and help decide on treatment options: rectal
examination, Barium enema, proctoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy
(find out
more). What determines treatment options & prognosis: Treatment options: Treatment may be classed as radical - aiming to cure or palliative - aiming to control symptoms. Options, often in combination include: |
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