What is colon cancer? It is a cancer of your large intestine that is the last part of the digestive tract. The cases of colon cancer tend to start as small clusters of cells termed as adenomatous polypsforms . Over the course of time these polyps emerge as colon cancer. They are fewer in number and the symptoms produced are almost negligible. For this reason doctors recommend identifying and removal of polyps before they lead to the formation of cancer cells.
Symptoms
The common symptoms associated with colon cancer includes
- Change in the patterns of bowel movements. In terms of consistency of your tool it could pave way for constipation or diarrhoea that is going to stretch for 4 weeks in some cases
- A feeling you get that the bowel is not emptied fully
- Fatigue or any form of weakness
- Regular abdominal discomfort and this could be pain, gas or discomfort
- Blood in the stool
Many people who are affected with colon cancer experience no form of symptoms in the initial stages. When the symptoms do appear it is dependent upon the size in the large intestine along with the stage you find the cancer at.
When a visit to the doctor is necessary?
Cost of colon cancer surgery in India is comparatively less in comparison to the advanced western countries. The cost works out to be nearly half in comparison. In addition to this most of the hospitals in the country have world class facilities along with infrastructure that can be compared to the best in the world. Most of the hospitals tend to have zero waiting lists, which means that a surgery can be performed only a couple of days after your visit. In western countries you have to wait for a considerable amount of time for the date of your surgery.
If you do notice any of the above symptoms, then it is high time you seek an appointment with your doctor. Have a discussion with them on when you would need to appear for screening for colon cancer. In medical guidelines, the screening for colon cancer tends to start once you touch the age of 50 years. The doctor is likely to recommend for screening earlier if there are other symptoms associated as well. It could be a history of family disease in your family.
There are numerous screening tests in place and each of them has their pros along with cons associated with it. Do have a discussion with your doctor and then discuss the best course of option that is suited for you.
The causes
It is still not clear on what are the main causes of colon cancer. But doctors point out the main reason could be healthy cells in the colon develop cancer symptoms. When the DNA of a cell is damaged the cancer cells tend to divide all the more. Once the number of cells increase the chances of a tumour intensifies.
The colon cancer treatment cost in Indiais on the lesser side and for this reason there is a huge influx of patients.
