Thursday, March 13, 2008
Is Colon Cancer Nutritionally Based?
Introduction
Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine (colon), the lower part of your digestive system. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and the leading cause of cancer deaths among non-smokers. It is, in almost all cases, a treatable disease if caught early. Truth: When colon cancer is caught early, it has a 95 percent survival rate. It may be nutritionally based. For example, the incidence is much higher in North America than in China, and the Chinese who migrate to North America have a higher incidence.
Early
Most colorectal cancers are predictable by early diagnosis and screening. In fact, screening prevents more deaths due to early detection than breast or prostate cancer screening. Other research is looking at multiple genes involved in colon cancer and at improving screening techniques so more cancers can be detected early. This includes searching for markers in blood, stool or urine that might provide an easier screening tool to early signs of colon cancer. In general, when treated at an early stage, more than 90% of patients survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. However, only about 39% of colon cancer is found at an early stage.
Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the location of the cancer within the colon or rectum, though there may be no symptoms at all. Symptoms of colon cancer can include severe abdominal pain, blood in the stool or rectal bleeding, unexplained loss of weight, or major changes in bowel habits (recurrent constipation or diarrhea). In fact, the most common symptom is no symptoms at all," says Emina Huang, MD. But once these symptoms begin to develop, it may be a sign of more advanced disease. Half of people diagnosed after symptoms develop will die. Finding colorectal cancer before symptoms develop dramatically improves the chance of survival.
Conclusion
"There's no question that the earlier colon cancer is found, the more likely the patient will be cured with surgery. Although the cause is still unknown, there is evidence that most of these cancers arise from polyps (benign intestinal tumors). It has been well demonstrated that if colon cancer is caught in the earliest stages, the cure rate could be increased to 90%.
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