Bowel or colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is often diagnosed too late. It evolves at first without giving warning signs. However, its prognosis is closely related to its stage of development at the time of diagnosis.
What are the main symptoms of colorectal cancer?
The demonstrations: at the beginning, nothing alarming, because it is about common troubles like diarrhea or a constipation, or both in alternation, which can pass unnoticed. But be careful: If they suddenly appear and persist especially in time, without any apparent cause it requires consultation.
Why? The developing tumor can obstruct the colon, creating either an irritative phenomenon (diarrhea) or / and a phenomenon of restraint (constipation).
Abdominal pain
The manifestations: abdominal pains suddenly appear, then become more frequent, constant, diffuse and can extend up to the level of the back. They may be accompanied by flatulence, a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen, bloating with cramps.
Why? Abdominal pain appears as the tumor grows and spreads. "In the same way as for a transit modification, it is important to consult when the abdominal pains suddenly appear in people who until now had only rarely had a stomach ache," explains Dr. Marty.
The "false desires" to go to the toilet
Demonstrations: the person may feel that his intestines are not emptying completely. This provides "false desires" with a regular need for urgent and constant defecation. But at the time of going to the saddle, the envy is there but not the fecal matter.
Why? It's mostly a symptom that appears when the tumor is in the rectum and gets bigger, giving a constant overfilling feeling.
Bleeding in the stool
Stool may be covered with red or very dark blood (stool is bloody or streaked with blood). If the blood is digested in the colon, the stool may be black. Bleeding can sometimes be invisible to the naked eye, only tests to find blood in the stool will then detect it.
The presence of bleeding in the stool (rectorrhagia or melena) should not be attributed spontaneously to hemorrhoids without medical advice.
Vomiting
Although not very characteristic, these disorders must lead you to consult if they persist or suddenly appear in an unusual way.
Other signs of colorectal cancer
A fatigue or unexplained weight loss should also lead you to consult. Of rectal bleeding may be signs of rectal cancer.
More rarely, other symptoms may appear, such as mucus emitted from the anus (such as sputum), anemia (decrease in the number of red blood cells ...).
Better understand the symptoms for early management
If one or more symptoms appear, you should consult your doctor promptly. All can be explained by other causes than cancer. Nevertheless, after the interview and clinical examination, your doctor may prescribe some tests (a colonoscopy - visual exploration of the intestine) and / or refer you to a gastroenterologist.
For colorectal cancers detected in Stage I, a 5-year survival rate of over 90% is observed. But only about one in five is diagnosed at this stage. Some symptoms of colorectal cancer should catch your eye. They can facilitate the early detection of cancer.
Symptoms specific to the aggravation of cancer
If the tumor grows, it can cause the symptoms and more serious complications. The most to fear are:
Bowel obstruction (the tumor clogs the colon). Stool and gas cannot escape, resulting in more or less severe abdominal pain, swelling of the stomach, vomiting and lack of stool or gas.
Management is based on emergency surgery;
The peritonitis is a serious infection of the membrane surrounding the abdominal organs (peritoneum). It occurs when the colon is perforated. An emergency surgery is there still necessary.
After a certain delay, an alteration of the general state of health (slimming, fatigue, loss of appetite, jaundice ...) may also appear.
Risk screening recommendations
Screening for colorectal cancer can identify cancers at a very early stage of development and polyps (adenomas) before they progress to cancer.
Beyond the recommendations of mass screening, we can distinguish several groups according to their risk of developing colorectal cancer. The desirability of screening, the age at which to perform it, the pace and the modalities of surveillance vary according to the group at risk:
People at medium risk of colorectal cancer (majority of cases)
The men and women over 50 years are the population with what is called an average risk of colorectal cancer: 94% of cancers colorectal occur after that age.
By testing for occult bleeding in the stool every 2 years, between 50 and 74 years of age, followed by colonoscopy if positivity, it is possible to reduce cancer mortality by 15% to 20%. colorectal, if the participation of the population reaches 50%. This is why the public authorities are offering men and women aged 50 to 74 organized screening for colorectal cancer by searching for blood that is not visible in the stool.
People with high risk of colorectal cancer (15 to 20% of cases)
It's about:
Some people who have had adenomas more than one centimeter or a first colorectal cancer;
Individuals whose close relative (father, mother, brother, sister, child) has been diagnosed with bowel cancer before the age of 65, and those with two parents who have been diagnosed regardless of age;
People with chronic inflammatory bowel disease at the time of diagnosis and who have been living for more than 20 years.
The recommended screening method for these individuals is the colonoscopy, which the doctor will determine the required frequency, depending on the patient's profile and history.
People at high risk of colorectal cancer (1 to 3% of cases about)
Some colorectal cancers, rare, are linked to an inherited disease: defective genes can be passed from parent to child.
Thus, present a very high risk of developing colorectal cancer:
Members of a family with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (PAF), characterized by the presence of numerous polyps on the digestive tract;
Members of a family with HNPCC (Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer), also known as Lynch Syndrome;
An oncogenetic consultation is proposed in case of suspicion of a familial form of colorectal cancer. Depending on the results, special monitoring will be proposed. There are about 100 oncogenetic consultation sites in France in 2007, which recorded almost 20,000 consultations in 2005, which is four times more than in 1999.
Some acts of prevention
Finally, it is possible to reduce your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Indeed, vegetables, including crucifers (cabbage and broccoli), rich in fiber and antioxidants, would reduce the concentration of carcinogenic substances naturally present in the colon.
Wholegrain cereals, yogurts ... are also recommended. On the other hand, animal fats should be consumed in moderation. Finally, the regular practice of physical activity is deemed to promote intestinal function and prevent stagnation of food.
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