What is Colon Cancer and is it Treatable?

Most people have heard that colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the Western world. But most people don't have a good understanding of what it is or what causes it to occur. Many times in life, we learn so many complex things that the simple things we ought to remember from health class in high school seem like nothing more than a mystery to us. The problem is that quite often in our busy lives, we don't recognize symptoms and problems when they start to occur. Colon cancer is a good case in point. Simply put, the colon is the part of the digestive system that stores waste material to be excreted later through the anus via the rectum.

Colon cancer is also classified as large bowel cancer or colorectal cancer, which one can infer has something to deal with the rectum. In this sense, it involves the development of cancerous tissue abnormality in the colon, thereby affecting the rectum and the appendix. These tissue abnormalities are more commonly known as adenomatous polyps which frequent the inner walls of the colon and are similar in shape to that of mushrooms. As these polyps are seen as simple in the beginning, their development into malignant abnormalities is what is regarded as colon cancer. For this reason, colonoscopies are encouraged so that there can be an early detection of these polyps and can be removed before they cause more serious problems. Importantly, researchers have found that a lot of the cancers of the colon found their origin in polyps which were left to develop untreated over time.

The most dangerous thing about this disease is the fact that it causes damage to one's tissues and organs, the building blocks of the body. In this way, the liver and lungs may also be affected, halting the important digestive system and making it hard for the individual to breathe efficiently. This metastasis late stage process is the final sign that there is no coming back from treatment and that unfortunately, the result would be death.

Certainly, from this we cannot underestimate statistical reports that conclude that over 650,000 people die per year from this cancer, with the Western societies having the most frequent cases. It rarely takes place within Africa and Asia. Leading these statistics is the United States, which considers this disease as the fourth most common form of cancer as well as the third leading cause of death relating to cancer.

Other useful information for a person interested in the topic of colon cancer is the fact that it is treatable with surgery as well as chemotherapy in the more serious cases. Now I am going to leave you with something to think about colon cancer which was not mentioned earlier to pique your interest on further reading. In this way, more precaution and action can be taken if you happen to have this deadly disease. Genes along the chain of the colon are ultimately damaged with the development of this cancer, in particular the APC gene. What do you think the effect this will have on the body as well as children of these individuals? All the more reason to get preventative screenings early and often.

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