Colon Cancer
What is colon cancer?
Colon cancer is a cancer of the large bowel. That is the section of the bowel that begins at the cecum, which is the end of the small intestine. It actually does a bit of a U shape: going up the right side of the abdomen, across the top, down the other side, and ends in the rectum and anus. That is the large bowel, and any cancer within that part of the anatomy we call colon cancer.
What are the symptoms of colon cancer?
We feel that there are a number of changes that happen in the colon that can lead us to suspect that a colon cancer can happen in the future. These are mainly little polyps that occur in the colon. Polyps are small benign growths within the colon that sometimes bleed. They grow, and if they are left there long enough they can potentially change to become malignant.
Why is regular screening for colon cancer important?
A very simple test to screen for colon cancer is to collect faeces, to collect a patient's stool in small amounts, for about three consecutive days. We then do a test for microscopic amounts of blood. If you're picking up small amounts of blood, something is happening somewhere along the intestinal tract. In that patient, they would certainly need to consider having a colonoscopy, at which point in time, if they're found to have a polyp, it will be dealt with there and then. Obviously, one needs to consider bleeding from higher up in the gastrointestinal tract, such as small stomach ulcers or little erosions from having taken some aspirin, etc. However, with regard to colon cancer, we certainly feel that it's worth doing these types of screening tests on a regular basis, certainly from the age of 50, but sometimes, and particularly if there is a family history, from far before that age - 30 or 35.
