Colon tumor
Colon tumor is a malignant neoplasm of its various departments. The basis of the tumor is the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall. Colon tumor is also called colorectal tumor.
The urgency of this problem in modern medicine is quite acute. So, every year more than 500 thousand cases of colon tumors are diagnosed in the world. This oncopathology is very common in countries with developed industry. As for statistics, in the total mass of malignant tumors affecting the human body, colorectal tumors are in second place in terms of frequency in women. Only breast tumors are ahead of them. Among male oncopathologies, malignant neoplasm of the colon is ahead of only a tumor of the prostate and lungs.
Most often, the disease is diagnosed in people over the age of 50. Moreover, women are exposed to it 1.5 times less often than men. The main danger of the disease is that it is detected at later stages, when the treatment is already ineffective.
Content:
- Colon tumor causes
- Colon tumor symptoms
- Colon tumor diagnostics
- Colon tumor treatment
Colon tumor causes
Scientists all over the world have been analyzing for many years what are the true causes of colon tumors.
Such long-term studies have identified the most significant etiological factors leading to the development of this oncopathology:
- Hereditary predisposition to the development of the disease. In particular, familial polyposis, which is a genetically determined disease. This pathology always leads to the fact that people at a given age develop a colon tumor.
- Another genetic disease that provokes the development of a tumor is Lynch syndrome. Moreover, most often the tumor develops in older people and is found in the right part of the colon.
- Improper nutrition with a high content of animal proteins, fats, refined carbohydrates in food against the background of a low content of plant fiber contributes to the development of a tumor.
- Additional risk factors are: low physical activity, overweight and metabolic disorders.
- The risk of the formation of a malignant neoplasm increases against the background of prolonged constipation and with other diseases of the intestines of the chronic course. These are various colitis, intestinal diverticula, villous and adenomatous polyps.
- The carcinogenic effect is exerted by various chemicals that have entered the body. These are aromatic amines, hydrocarbons, steroid hormones, etc.
- Bad habits, such as alcohol abuse and smoking, have a negative effect on the intestinal wall, provoking the development of tumors.
Colon tumor symptoms
Colon tumor symptoms begin to bother you already in the early stages of the disease. However, they are often confused with other bowel pathologies.
You need to pay attention to the following signs:
- Pain in the abdomen and pelvis. This is one of the early symptoms of the disease. Pain can occur intermittently, or be present on an ongoing basis. Their nature varies depending on the location of the tumor and on the stage of the oncological process. Sometimes patients indicate cramping pain, sometimes pulling and aching pains.
- Discomfort in the intestines with frequent belching, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen. Perhaps the addition of nausea and vomiting.
- Normal intestinal motility suffers, constipation is replaced by diarrhea. A rumbling is heard in the stomach, and the intestines are often full of gas.
- As the tumor grows in size, symptoms of partial or complete intestinal obstruction may develop.
- When the sigmoid or rectum is damaged, impurities are almost always present in the feces. It can be streaks of blood, mucus, or pus.
- With regard to intestinal bleeding, significant blood loss is rare. Nevertheless, regular minor bleeding negatively affects the patient's well-being, leading to the development of chronic anemia.
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Symptoms of intoxication of the body appear when the tumor decays, as well as in the case of the formation of intestinal obstruction. People complain of a general deterioration in well-being, they lose weight. The body temperature is kept at subfebrile levels for a long time.
- Palpation of a tumor in the abdomen is most often possible only during the examination of a patient by a specialist, although sometimes people feel large tumors on their own.
Colon tumor diagnostics
Diagnosis of a colon tumor is reduced to a comprehensive examination of the patient.
Already during the examination of the patient, after palpation of the abdomen and intestines with percussion of the abdominal cavity, the doctor may suspect the presence of a tumor. A tumor may be suspected by a gynecologist examining a woman.
In addition, the following survey methods are used:
- Abdominal X-ray, contrast irrigoscopy.
- Colonoscopy and rectosigmoscopy with parallel biopsy of the tumor.
- Histological and cytological examination of biopsy.
- PET, bowel ultrasonography.
Without fail, feces are taken from the patient to detect latent blood in it, an analysis is performed for the cancer-embryonic antigen.
The prevalence of the oncological process can be judged by instrumental examinations of other organs. An ultrasound of the liver, pelvic organs, x-rays of the lungs, etc.
Colon tumor treatment
Colon tumor treatment involves surgery to remove the affected area. Depending on the location of the tumor and the degree of damage to the intestinal area, the nature of the operation will depend.
Sometimes doctors limit themselves to one-step removal of the tumor, and sometimes the operation takes place in several stages with resection of a part of the intestine and with the imposition of a colo- or sigmostomy. Subsequently, reconstructive manipulations are performed, the intestinal stoma is closed.
Resection of the right half of the large intestine using an interintestinal anastomosis is performed for tumors of the cecum and ascending colon, and resection of the left side for neoplasms of the descending sections. If the sigmoid part of the intestine is affected, then a sigmoidectomy is indicated. The operation can be total, distal and proximal.
After surgery, patients are shown chemotherapy. If it is impossible to perform the operation, since the tumor is at the last stage of development, then palliative surgical procedures are performed to make the life of patients easier.
As for the prognosis of the disease, it depends on at what stage of development the tumor was, and how timely the treatment was started. If these are the early stages of its development, then the five-year survival rate of patients after the therapy is equal to 100%. At later stages, this indicator decreases to 70-30%, depending on the severity of the oncopathology. Therefore, preventive examinations by a doctor with an annual colonoscopy are so important for all people over the age of 50 or people with a burdened family history.
The author of the article: Bykov Evgeny Pavlovich | Oncologist, surgeon
Education: graduated from residency at the Russian Scientific Oncological Center. N. N. Blokhin "and received a diploma in the specialty" Oncologist"
