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 the majority of cases, a treatable disease providing it is caught early. The facts show that when colon cancer is caught early, there is a 95 percent survival rate. It may be nutritionally based. For example, the rate of colon cancer is much higher in North America than in China, but Chinese who move 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 looking for markers in blood, stool or urine that might provide an easier screening method to detect early signs of colon cancer. In general, when treatment starts at an early stage, more than 90 percent 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 may vary depending on where the cancer is located within the colon or rectum, although there may be no symptoms at all. Signs of colorectal cancer may include severe abdominal pain, blood in the stool or rectal bleeding, loss of weight for unknown reasons, or major changes in bowel habits (recurrent constipation and/or diarrhea).
In fact, the most common sign is no signs at all, says Emina Huang, MD. But once these symptoms start to develop, it may be a signal of more advanced disease. Fully half of people diagnosed after symptoms start will die. Finding colon cancer before symptoms develop greatly improves the chance of survival.
CONCLUSION: There is no question that the earlier the cancer is found, the more likely the patient can be cured with surgery. Although the cause is yet unknown, there is evidence that the majority 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%.
