Patients who receive a diagnosis of colon cancer quickly become depressed and have a lot of unanswered questions about their future. The most important thing for them to realize is that they are not alone and that their friends and family are there to provide love and support.

When dealing with any type of illness, including colon cancer, family and friends are the first thought of a positive support system. Understandably, these same people may be experiencing a lot of emotional pain and anxiety themselves, which stems from seeing their loved on suffering from an illness.
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The number one method used for the treatment of colon cancer is surgery. The doctor will remove the tumor during the operation, as well as any tissue located in the margins of the tumor. Depending on where the tumor is located, the closest draining lymph nodes will also be removed and examined for spread of the cancer. If the person has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and it has spread to the rectum, then the entire rectum is removed. This is because this area has the potential to spread the cancer to nearby organs.

The treatment situation and long term outcome of having colon cancer is different for everyone. The risk of dying will depend on if the disease has spread to other organs. If the cancer has only entered the intestinal wall, then such people might have a better outcome than someone in which the cancer has spread through the colonic wall, and entered other organs. This represents a difference of a survival rate of eighty percent in the first set of people, compared to only ten percent survival in someone in which the cancer has spread.
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Sadly, cancer of the colon can be quite advanced before being recognized. The effectiveness of cancer prevention lies in early detection, with subsequent removal of polyps before they become cancer. Often in situations where cancer has already grown and started to spread, the earlier the person is diagnosed with the disease, the better their chances of survival. Early detection will help reduce the chance of it spreading to other parts of the body.

It is recommended that all people aged over 40 years are investigate their risk for developing colon cancer by having a digital rectal exam and a fecal blood smear. In the digital rectal exam, the doctor will place a finger within the rectum to determine the presence of tumors. A stool sample can also be used to test for the presence of blood within the stool. This is a vital test for cancer in the colon – the presence of fresh blood within the stool.
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When your doctor thinks you might have colon cancer, a procedure known as a lower GI series will be completed on you to first detect any abnormalities. A lower GI series is also a type of a radiography is similar to an x-ray. When a barium solution is inserted through the rectum, it is known as barium enema radiography. This is used to help confirm the diagnosis. A barium enema is to obtain radiographs of intestines, after the patient is given an enema with a white chalky liquid containing barium. This solution will be used to coat the intestine, and pictures will be take produce to detect the presence of tumors in the colon.

A second type of procedure used by a health professional to detect colon cancer is known as a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy involves using a long tube that is inserted into the intestine. The tube will have a small viewing camera attached to it. This allows the doctor to view the whole of the intestine as the tube travels through the camera.
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Most health professionals will recommend that someone receive a periodical colon screening. By being screened early for colon cancer, this reduces having to go through long bouts of treatment for a cancer that has progressed. Early detection will increase the chance of cancer survival, and reduce the amount of deaths associated with colon cancer.

Colon cancer does not appear suddenly, so someone will experience symptoms of this disease a while before it is diagnosed. This is why it is important to carry out early screening on those with a high risk factor.
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There are various risk factors for colon cancer. A risk factor is defined as something that will increase the possibility of you being diagnosed with this disease. For each type of cancer within the human body, there are different risk factors. For example, the presence of certain micro-organisms can increase a woman’s chances of being diagnosed with cervical cancer.

In colon cancer, these risk factors have also been identified, and the person who has a high risk factor, or a combination of risk factors in their life should take precautions to ensure their colon is healthy.

The first risk factor in determining if someone is prone to developing colon cancer is their age. Colon cancer is usually diagnosed in people over the age of fifty. At least eighty to ninety percent of the people diagnosed with colon cancer have reached the age of fifty. This is why campaigns to ensure early detection of colon cancer target people who are over the age of fifty.
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Adenocarcinomas - The most common type of colon cancers are known as adenocarcinomas. The adenocarcinomas are a type of cancer that has developed within the glands inside of the intestine. The function of these glands is to ensure the intestine has a ready supply of mucus. The mucus that the colon produces is a natural lubricant for the stool, and its job is to help the stool pass through the colon more easily.

In terms of adenocarcinomas, this type of colon cancer is not numerous, and there are only 1-2 different subtypes. This type of colon cancer will be identified by the doctor as a cancer of the mucinous cells – this means the cancer has found in the cells that produce mucus.

This type of an adenocarcinoma of the colon can also be described as a signet ring cell cancer. Since the colon cancer is formed in mucus cells, the cancer will be seen as if it is contained within a pool of mucus. Therefore, as the mucus forms, the normal cells will be transformed to look like a signet ring.
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These last years, the polyps of two points became a popular discussion in the scientific world. A polyp is a structure that occurs when an area of the intestine starts to grow, forming a little pouch. These growths are benign growth, and the little out-pouches will contain layers of the intestine.

The average diameter of a polyp is approximately two to four millimeters in width. Even though they are benign, in some conditions the appearance of a polyp within the intestine can eventually lead to cancer. In order for a polyp to transform into colon cancer, it will depend on the type of cells contained within the polyp, and which were the original lining of the intestine.
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Colon cancer is a disease that affects the colon. It is also known by the term of colorectal cancer. A cancer of the colon occurs when cells of the colon, are able to transform into cells that do not look or function normally. Usually a cancer will develop from a mutation in genes of the DNA of the cell. A cancer can also result from an infection or from certain chemicals.

Since cancers are result of normal cells having their genes mutated, it is possible to inherit this mutation between parents and children, and siblings. Colon cancer is one type of cancer in which people with a parent or sibling with this disease should be tested more regularly than those without.
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With the increasing incidence of colon cancer, it is necessary for anyone worried about the health of their colon to know what is a healthy bowel movement. For many people, they judge a healthy bowel movement as one in which they have made for that day.

Even though it might seem peculiar or embarrassing to talk about bowel movements, they are important. For a long time it has been believed that the digestive system played a major role in the health of the person.

Therefore, whatever the person chooses to eat, would affect his or her digestion leading to some form of gastro-intestinal illness.

Therefore, it is simply not enough to consider that one bowel movement a day is a sign of a healthy bowel. Instead it is necessary to look at the frequency, color, odor, or the consistency associated with the stool.
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