Colon Cancer

Cancer of the colon  has been proven to develop from polyps of the colonic mucosa; What causes that cancer to develop, you're not exactly sure yet.. Colonoscopy and polypectomy has been instituted as a standard of care to remove polyps that have the potential to be  precancerous. Sometimes though, the cancers develop in spite of the screening.  they are often found during a colonoscopy. This can happen at any age but more often happens in adults.

Signs and symptoms:

• A persistent change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool
• Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool
• Persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain
• A feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely
• Weakness or fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss

Workup
Imaging of the abdomen and the chest is usually done as far as laboratory values to help understand the nature of the cancer. These are completed, surgeon sits down with the patient can discuss all of the options. If the cancer is amenable to removal, they will discuss the surgical options and the risks and benefits.

Treatment
 treatment of colorectal cancer is a  multi-specialty collaboration. What's the diagnosis is made in the type of tumor identified, oncologist surgeons in pathologist discuss appropriate next steps. If the patient is appropriate for surgical resection, that patient will be referred to a surgeon for full discussion and disclosure of the possible procedures to be done as well as the risks and benefits. 

Chemotherapy may play a role in management of the cancer depending upon what is found during the work up and after the operation.

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