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: The majority of colorectal cancers are predictable with early diagnosis and screening. In fact, screening prevents more deaths because of early detection than breast or prostate cancer screening. Other ongoing research is looking at multiple genes involved in colorectal cancer as well as improving screening methods so more cancers can be detected early.
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 vary depending on the location of the cancer within the colon or rectum, though there may be no symptoms at all. Symptoms of colon cancer can include severe abdominal pain, blood in the stool or rectal bleeding, unexplained loss of weight, or major changes in bowel habits (recurrent constipation 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 colorectal cancer is found, the more likely he or she will be cured with surgery. Even though the cause is still unknown, there is evidence that most of colorectal 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%.