What You Need to Know About Colon Cancer But May Be Afraid to Ask

According to the American Cancer Society about 112,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer annually!

The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research states “Many people with colon cancer experience no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. When symptoms appear, they’ll likely vary, depending on the cancer’s size and location in your large intestine” 1

There are several common signs and symptoms that you need to be aware of. They include:

• A Change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool for more than a couple of weeks.
• Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool
• Persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramping, gas or pain.
• Abdominal pain with bowel movement
• A feeling that your bowel does not empty completely
• Weakness or fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss

Blood in your stool does not necessarily mean that you have cancer. Several other common conditions exhibit this symptom. If you see bright red blood on the bathroom tissue it could be from Hemorrhoids or minor tears in your anus. Also what you eat can mask your stool and make it appear darker or appear red. Food such as red beets and red licorice will turn your stool red. Iron supplements and some anti-diarrhea medications can turn your stool dark even black in color. Because of the potential for some thing serious, it is important to contact a physician if any of these signs appear.

The American Cancer Society recommends that regular screening should begin at the age 50 for most people, how ever if you have a family history of colon cancer or at higher risk the screening can begin sooner than this.

There are several types of screening processes. Discuss these options with your physician to see which one or combination of test is best for you. Also consult your health insurance provider to make sure they cover colon cancer screening. If you are older than 50 and have Medicare benefits, Medicare will cover annual fecal occult blood tests and sigmoidoscopy every four years. If you're at high risk, you’ll be covered for colonoscopy every two years, or every 10 years if you are of average risk.

Screening options:

Some of the screening procedures are:

• Annual fecal occult blood testing
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years
• Annual fecal occult blood testing plus flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years
• Double contrast barium enema every five years
• Colonoscopy every 10 years

By making some lifestyle changes you can reduce your risk or developing colon cancer. Eat plenty of foods high in vitamins, minerals fiber and antioxidants. Five or more daily servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains are best. Limit your fat intake especially saturated fat. Eat a varied diet to increase the vitamins and minerals you consume. Limit your alcohol consumption to no more than one drink a day for women and two for men. Talk to your doctor about way to stop smoking if you are a smoker. Stay physically active and maintain a healthy body weight. Try to get at least 30 minutes at least of exercise daily. If you have been inactive, start slowly and build up gradually to 30 minutes. Also talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Talk to your doctor about drugs that may lower your risk. Some medications have been found to reduce the risk of pre cancerous polyps or colon cancer. There is some evidence that links Aspirin with lowering the risk of polyps and colon cancer. Low-dose aspirin or short term use haven’t found this to be true. But using Aspirin in higher doses or longer periods of time can have other side effects as well. This needs to be discussed with your physician. Also the use of high dose non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil, Motrin and Aleve may reduce the risk for pre cancerous polyps and colon cancer. Again, the higher dose can cause other side effects like ulcers and bleeding in your GI tract. It is important that you speak with your doctor before taking any high doses of these types of drugs.

Communicate with your physician and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

1. Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), Aug 17,2007;Colon Cancer, Signs and Symptoms; Mayoclinic.com