How I Knew I Had Colon Cancer – Colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the United States of America, as we record more than 200,000 cases of the same each year. According to the American Cancer Society, at least one in every 23 men and one in every 25 women will develop colon cancer during their lifetime, which is a thing to worry about.
Because of its popularity and left awareness, we decided to come up with this blog and talk about all the symptoms and signs which will tell you whether you have colon cancer or not. If you are looking for an answer to how I know I had colon cancer? This blog is the perfect place for you as we will talk about everything related to colon cancer.
What is Colon Cancer?
The colon is the final part of the digestive tract. Colon cancer is big in the large intense time, which is also known as the colon. It is more common in older adults rather than youngsters, But it can happen at any stage of life.
Colon cancer begins as benign Clumps of cells which are known as polyps. All of these form on the inside of the colon, and over that time, these bullets can become colon cancer. Because of all that, doctors recommend everyone to go for regular screening tests to prevent colon cancer because you can remove polyps before they turn into cancer.
Early Signs of Colon Cancer
Before we move ahead and talk about the causes or treatment for colon cancer, we need to understand the early signs of colon cancer. As you are already aware, doctors request everyone for regular screening tests to detect colon cancer in an ugly state.
Unfortunately, there are no early signs of colon cancer. In some studies, we have seen that people did not see any sign or symptom of colon cancer till the cancer reached the third stage. That is why doctors recommend everyone for regular screening to detect any kind of cancer as early as possible, including colon cancer.
Your doctor might recommend you to get a colonoscopy, But it depends on the person who is affected by the same. If a person is not able to handle colonoscopy, then their doctor might recommend them a different type of screening.
Even though there are no early signs of colon cancer, there are a few common signs which may develop At a later stage of colon cancer.
- For example, people who are suffering from colon cancer might also have changes in their bowel handbooks. They might start having Constipation and diarrhea on a regular basis without much change in their lifestyles.
- Abdominal pain and blood in the stool are also very common when it comes to colon cancer signs. It used a number of people who have been reported positive for colon cancer once they came to treat blood in the stool.
- If you recently are seeing the signs of anemia, it could indicate that you also have colon cancer. At the same time, you also might experience shortness of breath because red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body.
- Bloating, Gas, and But we also have very common colon cancer. You should not just focus on one or two signs to determine whether you have colon cancer or not. It takes a professional with different screening equipment to determine whether anyone has colon cancer or not.
- Recently a few studies pointed out that nausea and vomiting are also very common when it comes to any kind of cancer.
Stages of Colon Cancer
Even though there are different ways to assign a stage to any kind of cancer, the basic idea behind assigning a stage is how far cancer has already spread. Apart from that, your doctor might also take the size of the tumor as a parameter to decide the stage.
In the case of colon cancer, there are five different stages.
- Stage 0 is also known as carcinoma in situ. It is the earliest stage of colon cancer, and usually, cancer has not grown farther than the inner layer of the colon during Stage 0.
- Stage one is when cancer has clear tissue. A huge number of people might start having small signs or symptoms of colon cancer during stage one.
- During stage two, cancer has already reached the outer layers of the column, but it is yet to spread beyond the column.
- At stage three, cancer has grown through the outer layers of the colon, and it has currently reached at least one to 3 lymph nodes. But it is yet to spread to the distant sides.
- Stage four is the last stage of colon cancer as it has reached the outer tissues beyond the wall of the colon and it has already spread out to the distant parts of the body.
Causes of Colon Cancer
Just like any other type of cancer, there is no specific reason which can cause colon cancer. Scientists and health experts are doing extensive studies regularly to determine the major causes of colon cancer.
In recent years, doctors found that Healthy cells of the human body grow and divide in an orderly way but sometimes don’t sell, get damaged and change their DNA to become cancerous. These cells continue to divide even when the new cells are not needed, and as a result, they form a tumor.
Apart from this information, currently, scientists do not have anything on colon cancer. It can grow its age, but there are a few risk factors.
For example, people from the African American race have a greater risk of colon cancer than people of other races, including white people.
At the same time, people who are above the age of 50 are more vulnerable to getting colon cancer than people who are younger than 50. If anyone from your family was ever diagnosed with colon cancer, there is a high probability that you will also get the same.
Even though the chances are very low, a low fiber, high-fat diet can also become the reason which can cause colon cancer. No one who is eating a low fiber diet needs to get colon cancer once in a lifetime, but there is a high probability.
Diabetic and obese people who smoke are more vulnerable to getting colon cancer. Even researchers have successfully concluded that diabetes and obesity are one of the major reasons for colon cancer.
Diagnosis of Colon Cancer
There are no early signs of colon cancer. If you can detect colon cancer at an early stage, you might get a chance to cure it, but it is very hard, and often you have to go through screenings to do that.
As per the American Cancer Society, everyone who is above the age of 45 should start screening. If you visit your doctor for a diagnosis of colon cancer, your doctor will start gathering information regarding your family history and your medical history.
Recently the American Cancer Society announced to everyone that you should get yearly fecal testing to check for any hidden blood in your stool. The precautionary measure will help you find any hidden blood in the stool as it is directly related to having colon cancer.
After that, your doctor might perform a physical exam where they will check whether you have abdominal pain or not. Apart from that, your doctor will also check whether you have any lumps.
- Your doctor may run a blood test to get a better idea regarding your symptoms as nobody visits the doctor without having any symptoms.
- After getting the result of the blood test, your doctor will rule out any other possibility or disease.
- Apart from that, sigmoidoscopy is also a very popular test when it comes to colon cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends everyone above the age of 50 get a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years.
- Colonoscopy is another popular diagnosis when it comes to colon cancer. It involves a tube with a small camera attached at the top of the tube. Your doctor will insert the tube inside you and check for anything unusual.
Can I prevent colon cancer?
Yes, there are a few things you can do to lower the risk of colon cancer. For example, you can start eating healthy foods, which include fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Apart from that, you can also control your alcohol consumption and smoking at the same time. Your doctor might also suggest you maintain a healthy weight and exercise at least five days a week.
What is the earliest sign of colon cancer?
Some people experience abdominal pain first before getting any symptoms, while a huge number of people experience blood in their stool. Apart from that, Constipation and diarrhea are among the earliest. You should keep an eye on these four symptoms if you believe you have colon cancer.