Synonyms
English: colon cancer Medical: colorectal carcinoma
- Intestinal tumor
- Colorectal carcinoma
- Colon tumor
- Colon Carcinoma
- Colorectal adenocarcinoma
- Rectal cancer
- Sigma carcinoma
- Rectal-Ca
Definition
This common cancer affects about 6% of the population and is the second most common cancer in both men and women. Colorectal carcinoma is a malignant, degenerated, uncontrollably growing tumour that originates from the cells of the colon mucosa. The main causes of colon cancer are dietary habits. In most cases, colon cancer causes symptoms at a late stage, which are rather unspecific. Since the tumour grows slowly in comparison to other types of cancer, it gives the patient enough time to be diagnosed with good screening and thus to be able to fight it at an early stage.
Epidemiology
The peak frequency of colorectal cancer is beyond the age of 50, with men being slightly more likely to develop the disease than women (approx. 60:40). In Germany, about 49 out of 100,000 people fall ill every year and the risk of developing the disease increases steadily with age. 6% of the population is affected by colon carcinoma and about 2.5-3% of the population dies from this cancer.
Symptoms
Like many other types of cancer, colorectal cancer is mute for a relatively long time. This long absence of symptoms makes many types of cancer so dangerous because they could often be treated well in the early stages, but only lead to symptoms and become noticeable in later stages. Symptoms that might indicate bowel cancer include changes in bowel habits.
This can manifest itself, for example, as sudden frequent constipation (constipation) or diarrhoea (diarrhoea) or the change from both. Another possible symptom is the addition of blood to the stool. Furthermore, an increasing reduction in performance, physical weakness, weight loss and – usually only in late stages – pain can be an indication of the presence of intestinal cancer.
However, none of the symptoms mentioned is specific to colorectal cancer. There are no reliable early symptoms, which makes early diagnosis without the use of a colonoscopy so difficult. There are no early symptoms for colorectal cancer, as there are for many other types of cancer.
This is what often makes it so dangerous. This is because most types of cancer are relatively easy to treat, especially in the early stages. What makes them so treacherous is that they are often noticed so late that an advanced stage is already present, which can also be treated, but has a worse prognosis.
There are therefore no specific signs that indicate bowel cancer. There are only symptoms that can be interpreted as an indication of bowel cancer. These include, for example, the addition of blood to stool.
Changes in stool habits can also be an indication of bowel cancer. For example as sudden frequent constipation (constipation) or diarrhoea (diarrhoea) or a change from both. A further symptom, which can basically be an indication of the presence of a tumour, is an increasing reduction in performance as well as unintentional weight loss.
Irregularities in bowel movements, such as alternating constipation and diarrhoea, are a groundbreaking symptom of bowel cancer. This is due to the fact that the tumour constricts the intestinal space and stool passage is no longer guaranteed. The affected person experiences this through constipation and a feeling of bloating.
The bacteria of the intestine multiply uncontrollably at this point and thus liquefy the stool. Due to the bacteria‘s dissolving mechanisms, the stool becomes so liquid that it can pass through the intestinal constriction as diarrhoea. Back pain in intestinal cancer is to be interpreted as “metastases” until the opposite is proven, i.e. that the intestinal cancer has spread.
The spinal bodies are the preferred site for colon cancer cells to settle once they have entered the bloodstream. At this time, the chances of recovery are very poor. If more than one organ is affected by the scattered cells, this is called a palliative situation in which no further cure is possible.
Pain is not an early symptom of bowel cancer, nor is it a symptom specific to bowel cancer. In the presence of a colon carcinoma, pain may occur in the abdomen, but this usually only occurs in later stages of the tumour. Other possible symptoms are blood in the stool, changes in stool habits such as sudden frequent constipation (constipation) or diarrhoea (diarrhoea) or a change from both, as well as reduced performance and weight loss. However, none of these symptoms are specific to colorectal cancer, and they all often occur in an advanced tumor stage. and pain in the rectum
