Colon cancer Health Article

Definition

Colon cancer is cancer that starts in the large intestine (colon) or the rectum (end of the colon). Such cancer is sometimes referred to as "colorectal cancer."

Other types of colon cancer such as lymphoma, carcinoid tumors, melanoma, and sarcomas are rare. In this article, use of the term "colon cancer" refers to colon carcinoma and not these rare types of colon cancer.

Alternative Names

Colorectal cancer; Cancer - colon

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. (However, in almost all cases, early diagnosis can lead to a complete cure.)

There is no single cause for colon cancer. Nearly all colon cancers begin as benign polyps, which slowly develop into cancer.

You have a higher risk for colon cancer if you have:

• Colorectal polyps
• Cancer elsewhere in the body
• A family history of colon cancer
• Ulcerative colitis
• Crohn's disease
• Personal history of breast cancer

Certain genetic syndromes also increase the risk of developing colon cancer.

What you eat may play a role in your risk of colon cancer. Colon cancer may be associated with a high-fat, low-fiber diet and red meat. However, some studies found that the risk does not drop if you switch to a high-fiber diet, so the cause of the link is not yet clear.

Symptoms

Many cases of colon cancer have no symptoms. The following symptoms, however, may indicate colon cancer:

• Diarrhea, constipation, or other change in bowel habits
• Blood in the stool
• Unexplained anemia
• Abdominal pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen
• Intestinal obstruction
• Weight loss with no known reason
• Narrow stools

With proper screening, colon cancer can be detected BEFORE the development of symptoms, when it is most curable.

Signs and tests

Your doctor will perform a physical exam and press on your belly area. The physical exam rarely shows any problems, although an abdominal mass may be felt. A rectal exam may reveal a mass in patients with rectal cancer, but not colon cancer.

Imaging tests to diagnose colorectal cancer include:

• Colonoscopy
• Sigmoidoscopy

Note: Only colonoscopy can see the entire colon.

A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) may detect small amounts of blood in the stool, which could suggest colon cancer. However, this test is often negative in patients with colon cancer. For this reason, a FOBT must be done along with colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. It is also important to note that a positive FOBT doesn't necessarily mean you have cancer.

A complete blood count may reveal show signs of anemia with low iron levels.

If your doctor learns that you do have colorectal cancer, additional tests will be done to see if the cancer has spread. This is called staging.

• Stage 0: Very early cancer on the innermost layer of the intestine
• Stage I: Cancer is in the inner layers of the colon
• Stage II: Cancer has spread through the muscle wall of the colon
• Stage III: Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
• Stage IV: Cancer that has spread to other organs

Treatment

Treatment depends partly on the stage of the cancer. In general, treatments may include:

• Chemotherapy medicines to kill cancer cells
• Surgery to remove cancer cells
• Radiation therapy to destroy cancerous tissue

Stage 0 colon cancer may be treated by removing the cancer cells, often during a colonoscopy. For stages I, II, and III cancer, more extensive surgery is needed to remove the part of the colon that is cancerous. (See: Colon resection.)

There is some debate as to whether patients with stage II colon cancer should receive chemotherapy after surgery. You should discuss this with your oncologist.

Almost all patients with stage III colon cancer should receive chemotherapy after surgery for approximately 6 - 8 months. The chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil given has been shown to increase the chance of a cure in certain patients.

Chemotherapy is also used to treat patients with stage IV colon cancer. Irinotecan, oxaliplatin, and 5-fluorouracil are the three most commonly used drugs. You may receive just one type, or a combination of the drugs. Capecitabine is a chemotherapy drug taken by mouth, and is similar to 5-fluroruracil.

For patients with stage IV disease that has spread to the liver, various treatments directed specifically at the liver can be used. This may include cutting out the cancer, burning it (ablation), or freezing it (cryotherapy). Chemotherapy or radiation can sometimes be delivered directly into the liver.

While radiation therapy is occasionally used in patients with colon cancer, it is usually used in combination with chemotherapy for patients with stage III rectal cancer.