Bowel cancer
Bowel cancer is a general term used to describe cancer that starts in the large bowel. Depending on where the cancer begins, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon cancer or rectal cancer.
Cancer can sometimes start in the small intestine, but this type of cancer is rarer than large bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer is a common condition in some countries of the world. For example, about 40,000 new cases of this cancer are diagnosed in Britain each year.
Signs and symptoms
The three main symptoms of bowel cancer include blood in the stool and changes in defecation, such as frequent discharge or defecation, feces become more loose, and abdominal pain; however, these symptoms are very common and do not mean that the sufferer has intestinal cancer necessarily; Hemorrhoids may also occur with hemorrhoids, and changes in defecation or abdominal pain may also be caused by something normally eaten by humans.
Since about 9 in 10 people with bowel cancer are older than 60 years, these symptoms become more important as people age, especially if they persist despite the use of simple treatment methods.
The following combination of symptoms appears in most people who are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the end:
A constant change in the habit of defecation makes them use the toilet more than usual, with feces coming out looser with blood on it or inside it normally.
Constant change in defecation habits without blood in the stool, but with abdominal pain.
Blood in the stool without other symptoms of hemorrhoids, such as ulceration, discomfort, pain, itching or a lump hanging down the anus.
Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating is always incited by eating, sometimes leading to less food and weight loss.
Symptoms of bowel cancer can be unclear and do not necessarily make the person feel sick.
When should a doctor be consulted?
You may need to consult your doctor when you notice the symptoms and signs mentioned above. It is possible that you will perform a simple examination of the abdomen and anus to make sure there are no lumps. A simple blood test for iron deficiency anemia may also be asked, Any bleeding from the intestine is not known to the person.
In some cases, the doctor may ask for a simple test in the hospital to make sure there is no serious cause of the symptoms. Here, it is important to check with your doctor if the symptoms persist or reappear after discontinuation of treatment, regardless of the severity or age of the person.
Who is at risk of bowel cancer?
The exact cause of bowel cancer is not known, but there are a number of things that can increase the risk of the disease, and involve:
• Age, where 9 cases of bowel cancer occur in every 10 cases in people aged 60 years and older.
· Diet, a diet rich in red or processed meat and poor fiber can increase the risk of bowel cancer.
Weight of the body, where bowel cancer is common among overweight or obese people.
• Exercising, nausea increases the risk of this cancer.
· Alcohol and smoking, smoking and smoking may increase the chances of bowel cancer.
· Family history. Having a relative (mother, father, brother or sister) with bowel cancer, under the age of 50, increases the risk of this condition.
Some people have an increased risk of bowel cancer because they have another condition that affects the intestine over a long period of time, such as severe ulcerative Crohn's disease.
Intestinal cancer screening tests
Colon cancer screening tests include:
• The faecal occult blood test, where the blood test is performed in stool samples as an early sign of bowel cancer. This test can be done at home and is recommended for people aged 60 to 74, whether they are men or women .
Bowel scale screening, an additional test recommended by people aged 55 years, involves the use of a thin, flexible tool to examine the lower part of the bowel and to remove any small polyps that can turn into cancer.
The screening tests play an important role in the fight against bowel cancer because they help to investigate it before causing any obvious symptoms, which increases the chances of survival from this condition.
