Colon cancer may not be talked about as often as other cancers,
like breast cancer, prostate, or lung cancer,
but it’s actually one of the leading causes of cancer deaths.
It’s for this reason it’s very important to stay on top of your colon health.
The colon is your large intestine, the long,
upside -down U-shaped tube that’s toward the end of the line
for getting rid of waste in your body.
Colon cancer can start in the lining of the intestine,
or at the end of it, called the rectum.
Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol has also been found to increase
your risk of getting colon cancer.
Although the data are not consistent,
eating red meat or processed meats may increase the risks of colon cancer as well.
Lean, unprocessed red meat, may be associated with less risk.
If you have symptoms, they may include pain in your abdomen,
blood in your stool, weight loss, or diarrhea. But hopefully,
you’ll get diagnosed before you have any symptoms
during a regular screening test like a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy.
These tests use special instruments to see inside your colon
and rectum to look for any cancerous or pre-cancerous growths, called polyps.
If your doctor discovers that you do have colon cancer, unfortunately,
you’ll need to have a few more tests,
including scans of your abdomen, to find out whether the cancer has spread,
and if so, where in your body it’s located.
So, how is colon cancer treated?
That really depends on how aggressive your cancer is and how far it’s spread,
but usually colon cancer is removed with surgery,
or killed with chemotherapy or radiation.
You may get one, or a combination, of these treatments.
Colon cancer is one of the more treatable cancers.
You can be cured, especially if you catch it early.
Spotting colon cancer when it’s still treatable is up to you.
If you’re over age 50, you need to get screened with a colonoscopy.
During this test, your doctor can find,
and remove colon polyps before they have a chance to turn cancerous.
And, regular physical activity and eating at least some fruits and vegetables daily,
perhaps with unprocessed wheat bran, can help prevent it.
If you want to prevent colon cancer,
you’ll also want to avoid processed and charred red meats,
and smoking, and excess calories, and alcohol.