Bowel cancer is not a verdict, but an excuse to act

Bowel cancer is a disease that often comes to light at later stages, which is its insidiousness. It is important to understand what this pathology is related to, how one can suspect of its development, in order to prevent serious consequences in time.

Causes of bowel cancer

Medical science does not yet know for certain what processes in the body are the trigger mechanism for the formation of a malignant tumor in the intestinal walls. In this case, a number of factors are distinguished, in the presence of one or more of which bowel oncology develops in most cases:

• inflammatory and tumoral diseases of the digestive system, considered to be prepubescent (polyps, adenoma, ulcerative lesions, erosion, Crohn's disease , celiac disease , etc.);
• unhealthy diet (prevalence in the menu of fried, fatty, peppery, smoked dishes, abundance of meat, inadequate use of plant products, etc.);
• alcohol abuse;
• smoking;
• chronic constipation ;
• the entry of carcinogens into the body with food;
• overweight;
• lack of motor activity;
• genetic predisposition (if the nearest relatives were diagnosed with intestinal cancer, especially at the age of 45 years).

How does intestinal cancer appear?

Signs of bowel cancer, the first symptoms of this disease are insignificant and nonspecific, often reminiscent of many other ailments of the digestive system. In medicine, signs of intestinal cancer are grouped into separate syndromes with the following main manifestations:

1. Toxico-anemic, associated with a violation of the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and the penetration of toxins from the body into the total blood flow:

• fast fatiguability;
• weakness;
• headache;
• joint pain;
• changes in the heart and respiratory rhythm;
• slight increase in body temperature;
• decreased hemoglobin in the blood .

2. Enterocolitis, caused by inflammatory processes in the intestine:

• diarrhea or constipation;
• pain in the abdomen after a meal;
• presence of impurities in feces purulent, bloody or mucous;
• flatulence.

3. Dyspeptic, associated with the disorder of intestinal functions and metastasis in the liver:

• nausea, vomiting;
• eructation, characterized by an unpleasant odor;
• severe abdominal pain;
• stool disorders.

4. Obturation, noted during metastasis and the formation of inflammatory adhesions in the tumor region:

• a constant sensation of heaviness in the abdomen;
• pain in the abdomen after eating;
• prolonged constipation, in which laxatives are not helpful.

5. Pseudo-inflammatory, appearing at metastases in distant organs:

• severe pain in the abdomen;
• flatulence;
• constipation;
• feces with purulent impurities;
• Symptoms of an organ that has metastasized.

Bowel cancer - symptoms in the early stages

Bowel cancer, the first symptoms of which are slightly expressed, occur periodically, so they rarely alert the patient and are forced to go to the doctor. In order not to miss the beginning of the development of the pathological process, it is important to pay attention to the following common first signs of bowel cancer:

• feces in intestinal cancer contains blood veins or mucocutaneous suppositories;
• pain in bowel cancer is localized in the abdomen and given in the lower back, perineum;
• unexplained weakness, fatigue, poor appetite.

Cancer of the large intestine - signs and symptoms

If there is cancer of the large intestine, i.e. the tumor appears in the walls of the colon, the following are likely:

• loose stools;
• unproductive urge to defecate;
• dull or aching pain in the subcostal area on the right or left;
• bloating.

Cancer of the small intestine - symptoms and manifestation

Cancer of the small intestine is diagnosed much less often, especially among women. In general, the pathology is diagnosed in elderly patients. Cancer of the small intestine symptoms often has the following:

• spastic pain in the epigastric region;
• persistent nausea;
• pain in the anus during defecation;
• frequent vomiting.

Stages of bowel cancer

In the development of bowel cancer, experts identify several stages characterized by an increase in pathological symptoms:

• 0 stage - the appearance in the mucosal tissues of the intestine of a small number of atypical cells that quickly divide and can degenerate into malignant cells;
• Stage 1 - a small tumor is located in the walls of the intestine (in the mucous or submucous layer), the lymph nodes are not affected, there are no metastases;
• Stage 2 - the neoplasm reaches a size of 2 - 5 cm and affects all layers of the intestinal wall, metastases are not observed, the nearest lymph nodes can be affected;
• Stage 3 - a malignant tumor extends beyond the intestine, afflicting adjacent organs and tissues, or occupies the greater part of the gut circumference, growing inside, the surrounding lymph nodes are affected;
• Stage 4 - intestinal cancer is characterized by distant metastases (often in the liver, lungs), the tumor is very large.

Diagnosis of bowel cancer

When there is a suspicion of intestinal cancer, an anamnesis is collected, abdominal palpation and a digital examination of the condition of the rectum. These are the first diagnostic techniques available already at the primary admission of a doctor. After this, the patient receives a referral to some of the following types of instrumental studies:

• sigmoidoscopy ;
• rectoscopy;
• colonoscopy ;
• Irrigoscopy ;
• Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity;
• computer and magnetic resonance imaging of digestive organs;
• fibrocolonoscopy;
• fluoroscopy of the abdominal cavity and liver;
• laparoscopy.

In addition, it will be necessary to conduct a blood test for bowel cancer, including samples for cancer markers (for the presence of cancer cells in the bloodstream) and a study of feces for the presence of blood particles. When the diagnosis is confirmed to determine the stage of the disease and the choice of treatment tactics, a biopsy of the intestinal tissues is performed, followed by a histological and cytological examination.

Treatment of bowel cancer

Asking about how to cure intestinal cancer, the patient, first of all, should tune in to fight the disease and believe in a successful outcome. The basis of the treatment is a surgical operation to remove a cancerous tumor followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In inoperable neoplasms, when the tumor has grown significantly and affected nearby tissues and organs, symptomatic treatment is prescribed to improve the patient's condition and chemotherapy to reduce the size of the metastasis.

Chemotherapy for bowel cancer

Considering how to treat intestinal cancer in each specific case, the doctor takes into account a variety of factors: the degree of damage and metastasis, the age of the patient, concomitant diseases, etc. Chemotherapy is often performed before or after surgery, drugs are administered predominantly intravenously. The main medication used is 5-fluorouracil. In addition, other cytostatic drugs or combinations thereof may be prescribed: capecitabine, irinotecan, topotecan, etc. Dosages and chemotherapy regimens differ.

Operation in bowel cancer

Treatment of the disease involves a surgical procedure, such as intestinal resection - removal of the tumor along with the affected part of the organ. Sometimes in parallel, removal of damaged lymph nodes damaged by cancer cells, fatty tissue. The operation can be performed in the traditional way, or through small punctures in the abdominal cavity. In addition, for removal, a radiosurgical knife is sometimes used. With a small tumor size, a transanal endoscopic operation is applicable in the rectum.

It should be understood that it is not possible in all cases to accurately determine the size of the neoplasm and the amount of tissue removed. In view of this, a number of surgical interventions are often required. In the presence of secondary foci, their surgical elimination is carried out. If metastases affect the liver, cryotherapy or laser therapy is sometimes performed to remove tumor tissue.

Diet for bowel cancer

To improve the fight against a dangerous disease, the normalization of the functioning of the digestive system, the assimilation of food, the intake of nutrients, it is important to correctly adjust nutrition in intestinal cancer. It matters not only the food ration, but also the regime of meals, the rules for food intake. Thus, patients are shown frequent fractional food at certain time intervals (2-3 hours), thorough, slow chewing of food before ingestion. Food should be warm, freshly prepared. In addition, you should drink plenty of fluids.

The following dishes, prepared by the way of boiling, stewing, steam processing, are useful:

• vegetable soups;
• lean fish and meat;
• porridge;
• vegetables, fruits, berries;
• low-fat sour-milk dishes;
• macaroni products from durum wheat, etc.

Contraindicated:

• all fatty, fried, smoked, hot;
• alcohol;
• fresh bakery;
• canned food;
• pickling;
• coffee, cocoa, strong tea;
• chocolate;
• confectionery products with fatty creams;
• whole milk, etc.

Treatment of intestinal cancer with folk remedies

On how to treat colon cancer with folk remedies, there is a lot of information from well-known herbalists and adherents of alternative medicine. At the same time, before proceeding to such treatment, one should be aware that cancer can not be defeated exclusively by folk medicine. Such methods can be used only as auxiliary with the permission of the attending physician. Here is one of the recipes aimed at strengthening immunity, suppressing the division of cancer cells, preventing constipation.

Decoction

Ingredients:

• Licorice root dry crushed - 1 table. a spoon;
• water - 1 glass.

Preparation and use:

1. Pour raw materials with boiling water.
2. Put in a water bath for a quarter of an hour.
3. Insist for 40 minutes.
4. Strain, cool, add water to the original volume of liquid.
5. Take a tablespoon a few minutes before meals three times a day.

Bowel cancer - prognosis

Patients who had to hear from the doctor such a diagnosis, are interested in how much they live with intestinal cancer. Unequivocally answer this question is impossible, because. it all depends on a number of factors and a combination of circumstances. According to statistics, after the intestinal cancer of the first stage was cured, the five-year survival rate of patients is at least 90%. In cancer of the second stage, the indicator decreases to 55-80%, the third - to 50%, the fourth - to 1%. In this case, the probability of relapse for patients after 5 years after cancer treatment is reduced to almost zero.