| 1. What is colon cancer? | | | | your bowels, alternation of diarrhea with constipation, |
| Cancer is a disease which can affect cells from all | | | | and low abdominal pains. |
| organs. The colon cancer affects the cells of the | | | | 5. How does the doctor know that I have cancer? |
| colon, determining them to proliferate in an | | | | The doctor will perform a sigmoidoscopy or a |
| uncontrollable way. This mass of abnormal cells will | | | | colonoscopy to examine the insides of the colon. Also |
| form a tumor inside the colon. The cancer of the | | | | x-rays of the colon will be performed. These |
| intestine is quite frequent and two thirds of this type | | | | methods will see if tumors are present inside the |
| of cancer is situated in the colon. | | | | colon. In order to stage colon cancer CT and |
| 2. Who can develop colon cancer? | | | | ultrasound will be used. |
| You are at risk of developing colon cancer if you | | | | 6. Can colon cancer be treated? |
| drink a lot of alcohol and you are obese. Also if other | | | | Generally the most indicated procedure in trying to |
| members of your family had colon cancer or breast | | | | treat colon cancer is surgery. By surgery the doctors |
| cancer you could inherit some genes that make you | | | | will remove the tumor from the colon. If the cancer |
| more sensible to cancer. If you have polyps on your | | | | spread, giving metastasis, the doctors will |
| intestine and you leave them untreated for a long | | | | recommend you chemotherapy and radiotherapy. |
| time, they can transform into malign polyps, meaning | | | | These are hard bearable due to their side effects like |
| that cancer had occurred. | | | | nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, fever, and tiredness. |
| 3. Is my diet involved in cancer development? | | | | 7. Is the treatment effective or not? |
| Following a diet which is rich in fats and proteins could | | | | If the colon cancer was diagnosed in its early stages |
| expose you to cancer. If you eat a lot of fruit, | | | | and it has not spread to other organs the treatment |
| vegetables and high fiber foods you can prevent | | | | will be 90% effective and patients will survive even |
| colon cancer from occurring. | | | | five years after. If the cancer has given metastasis |
| 4. Does colon cancer come with any symptoms? | | | | the treatment will not be so effective any more and |
| There are some symptoms which could announce | | | | half of the diagnosed patients will live less that five |
| that cancer is installing, but they also appear in other | | | | years. |
| diseases. Some of the symptoms are: seeing blood in | | | | |