5.+General+Information+About+Colon+Cancer

General information about colon cancer. (2009, March). Retrieved August 18, 2009, from National Cancer Institute Web site:

Risk Factors-

**“Risk factors include the following: age 50 or older, a family history of cancer of the colon or rectum, a personal history of cancer of the colon, rectum, ovary, endometrium, or breast.”

“A history of polyps (small pieces of bulging tissue) in the colon, a history of ulcerative colitis (ulcers in the lining of the large intestine) or Crohn disease, and certain hereditary conditions, such as familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC; Lynch Syndrome) are al risk factors of colon cancer.”**

What colon cancer Is-


 * “In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the innermost lining of the colon. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.”

“In stage I, cancer has formed and spread beyond the innermost tissue layer of the colon wall to the middle layers.”

“Stage II colon cancer is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB. Stage IIA: Cancer has spread beyond the middle tissue layers of the colon wall or has spread to nearby tissues around the colon or rectum. Stage IIB: Cancer has spread beyond the colon wall into nearby organs and/or through the peritoneum.” **

**“In stage IV, cancer may have spread to nearby lymph nodes and has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver or lungs.”**

Treatments, surgery-

**“Surgery (removing the cancer in an operation) is the most common treatment for all stages of colon cancer.”**

**“Local excision is used if the cancer is found at a very early stage; the doctor may remove it without cutting through the abdominal wall. Instead, the doctor may put a tube through the rectum into the colon and cut the cancer out. This is called a local excision. If the cancer is found in a polyp (a small bulging piece of tissue), the operation is called a polypectomy. “

“Resection is used if the cancer is larger, the doctor will perform a partial colectomy (removing the cancer and a small amount of healthy tissue around it). The doctor may then perform an anastomosis (sewing the healthy parts of the colon together). The doctor will also usually remove lymph nodes near the colon and examine them under a microscope to see whether they contain cancer.”

“Resection and colostomy is used if the doctor is not able to sew the 2 ends of the colon back together, a stoma (an opening) is made on the outside of the body for waste to pass through. This procedure is called a colostomy. A bag is placed around the stoma to collect the waste. Sometimes the colostomy is needed only until the lower colon has healed, and then it can be reversed. If the doctor needs to remove the entire lower colon, however, the colostomy may be permanent. “**

**“Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment that is given after surgery to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy.”**