A Guide To Diagnosing And Treating Bowel Cancer
Being the third most common cancer in both men and women, bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of death in the US. Early colorectal cancer comes with almost no symptoms, though warning signs become more apparent as cancer advances. Symptoms include rectal bleeding, change in bowel habits, cramping pain in the lower abdomen and even blood in the stool. When one has been diagnosed with the disease, the first thing that strikes their mind is how to get the bowel cancer treated .
Diagnosis
To get bowel cancer treated effectively, the first thing that one should take care of is the proper detection and diagnosis of this cancer. Several other diseases can also result in similar symptoms, so one needs to undergo adequate tests to determine whether it is a case of cancer or not. The various tests that are used for the detection of this cancer are:
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Colonoscopy
- Double-contrast barium enema
- CT colonography
- Guaiac-based fecal occult blood test
- Fecal immunochemical test
- Stool DNA test
Treatment Methods
Through thorough diagnosis and detection procedures, if one is found to be the victim of bowel cancer, then the next issue to be considered is how to effectively get this bowel cancer treated .
The most common treatment for colorectal cancer is surgery, specifically for cancer that has not spread. Before or after surgery, chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus radiation is given to patients whose cancer has spread beyond the colon. The treatment of colon cancer up to a great extent depends upon the stage to which cancer has spread, but a few other factors also play a vital role.
Stage zero and stage one colon cancers are treated with surgery that involves removal of cancer-affected areas of the colon. Stage two, three and four colon cancers are treated firstly with chemotherapy and radiation. As soon as the size of cancer reduces, surgery is done to get the cancerous part removed.
Although treatments may seem to cure cancer, there are chances of relapse after two or three years of therapy. Thus, a healthy lifestyle and regular tests and checkups are vital for the well-being of the patient.