Bowel Cancer (Colorectal Cancer)

What is Bowel Cancer?

Bowel cancer, also know as colorectal cancer, is a type of cancer that can occur in the large bowel or intestine. Tumors can grow inside of the bowel and while in some cases they may not be cancerous, many times these tumors are cancerous. Not only can you develop these cancerous tumors, but if they are not taken care of as soon as possible, it can also damage the tissue and organs that are in close proximity as well. Most cancers of the bowel actually starts out as a simple polyp in the large intestine; however, over time these polyps often turn into cancer.

Bowel Cancer Statistics

In both men and women, bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer that is diagnosed in the United States. More than 150,000 people are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year and about 52,000 people die of this kind of cancer every single year. While the number of deaths due to bowel cancer has been dropping in the past few years, still this is a very deadly type of cancer. In fact, if the cancer starts to spread before it is detected, most patients only have a 10% chance that they will survive for five years. For this reason it is important to understand the causes and symptoms of bowel cancer in order to prevent it from occurring.

Causes of Bowel Cancer

There are some people who seem to be at a higher risk for developing cancer of the bowel. One of the big causes of this type of cancer is eating a diet that is very high in fat. Those who eat a more healthy diet that consists of mostly fruits and vegetables are less likely to develop colorectal cancer. Polyps and colon cancer can also lead to bowl cancer. When polyps are discovered, they should always be removed as soon as possible, otherwise they may actually go on to turn into cancer. Often this type of cancer runs in families as well, so if others in your family have dealt with cancer of the bowel, then you may run a high risk for developing it yourself.

Bowel Cancer Symptoms

There are a variety of different symptoms that are associated with bowel cancer and unfortunately it may take quite a bit of time for these symptoms to appear. Some of the symptoms are not very specific either and they may mimic the symptoms of other health problems too. A few of the symptoms that are associated with this kind of cancer include weakness and fatigue, change in bowel movements, diarrhea, constipation, pain in the abdomen, bloody stools, weight loss, bloating and cramping.

Treatments of Bowel Cancer

Various tests, such as a colonoscopy, can be done to help determine if you have bowel cancer. If you do end up having cancer of the bowel, then there are several different treatment options that will be available to you. The most common treatment for this type of cancer is surgery to remove the cancerous tumor in the bowel. Chemotherapy and radiation are often used with surgery or together to treat bowel cancer as well.

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