Stem Cell Therapy
Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect the gastrointestinal system. The majority of the carcinoma begins small but develops over time to become big. The small aggregation of the clumps is referred to as adenomatous polyps. These polyps are what progressively grows to become colon cancer. This abnormal growth is capable of spreading from one part of the body to another. Some of the signs and symptoms of this disease hematochezia, loss of weight, prolonged tiredness, and so on. This disease occurs as a result of old age. The kind of lifestyle one lives also contributes largely to the development of the disease. As an illustration, overweight, obesity, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle without participating in regular physical activities contribute to the growth of a tumor. Consuming a large amount of red meat for a long time increases the risk of having the disease. In addition, there are some diseases that predispose people to this disease. Inflammatory bowel diseases are examples of these medical conditions. They include Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. Other diseases that contribute to this are familial adenomatous polyposis. This disease is diagnosed by extracting some tissues during colonoscopy, which can then be followed by image evaluations. Imaging examinations are usually done to check if a tumor has metastasized or not. The treatment procedure for this disease includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy and also specialized therapy. Surgery is also done if a tumor is localized to a part of the body. The prognosis of colorectal cancer largely depends on the severity and the stage of the disease. Those in the stem cell business are working on ways to target and eliminate cancer stem cells.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Colorectal Cancer?
Colorectal cancer has a lot of signs and symptoms. Below are some of them;
- Diarrhea and constipation
- Alteration of the consistency of the stool.
- Prolonged tiredness
- Rapid weight loss that cannot be explained.
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Bleeding from the rectum, which eventually leads to anemia
- Alteration of the bowel movement.
People affected by this disease usually do not experience symptoms in the initial stage of the disease. However, they start presenting with symptoms at the later stage of the disease. The severity of the signs and symptoms depends on the size and location of a tumor in the intestine.
What Are The Causes Of Colorectal Cancer?
A large percentage of this disease happens to people that have little to no genetic risk. Some of the risk factors for this disease are age, sex, overweight, smoking, alcohol consumption. Some of the causes of this disease are as follows;
- Inflammatory bowel diseases: The two main examples of inflammatory bowel diseases are Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. These diseases increase the chances of having colorectal cancer. The duration of the inflammatory bowel disease has a direct connection to the risk of having cancer.
- Heredity: People with relatives affected by this disease, are more predisposed to having the disease. According to statistics, they have a two to three increased chances of having colorectal cancer. In addition, some genetic syndromes have been connected to the development of this disease. An example is Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. This disease occurs in about 3% of the people affected by cancer. Another inherited colorectal cancer syndrome is familial adenomatous polyposis. This is a disorder that leads to the development of polyps in the lining of the large intestine. This disease develops to colorectal carcinoma, especially when it’s not well treated.
What Are The Risk Factors For Colorectal Carcinoma?
Below are some of the factors that increase the risk of having cancer;
- Age: It has been observed that the older people get, the more the risk of having this medical condition. Although it also affects young people, the disease is more predominant in adults, especially in people above the age of 50 years.
- Race: According to studies, this disease is more prevalent in African-American people, as compared to people from other races.
- Family history: People that have relatives that were affected by this disease have a higher chance of having colorectal cancer. This is worse, especially when it’s the parents or a direct sibling.
- Past medical history: People with a history of adenomatous polyps have more chances have a high risk of having cancer.
- Exposure to radiation: A regular and prolonged exposure to radiations increases the chances of having colorectal carcinoma. Radiations that are directed to the abdomen, especially those used for the treatment of tumors, surges the risk of having the carcinoma.
- Smoking: Smokers have more chances of having this medical condition.
- Overweight and obesity: It has been discovered that people with excess body weight are more predisposed to having this disease than people who are within the normal body weight.
- Lifestyle: People who don’t exercise, or take part in regular exercises have more chances of developing colorectal carcinoma.
- Alcohol consumption: The prolonged and heavy consumption of alcohol increases the risk of having colon cancer.
- Metabolic cancer: People affected by diabetes mellitus have more chances of developing colon cancer.
When To See A Physician?
It’s important to go see your physician if you know you are at risk of developing colon cancer, and you experience the symptoms below;
- Hematochezia: This means blood in the stool. This is one of the markers of this disease.
- A sudden, consistent and prolonged change of your abdominal movements.
How Is Colorectal Cancer Currently Treated?
The treatment of this disease depends on the staging of cancer, the location of a tumor, and the size of a tumor. There are three main methods of treating this disease. They include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Surgery is usually done when a tumor is confined to a part of the colon; this is mostly at the early stage of cancer. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to eliminate the cancer cells.
Stem Cell Therapy And Colorectal Cancer
Genetics researchers are currently looking for ways to target and destroy the cancer stem cells of colorectal carcinoma. These cancer stem cells are responsible for the uncontrolled proliferation of the tumor cells. This when successfully accomplished will save a lot of lives.
References
Carethers, J. (2010). Secondary Prevention of Colorectal Cancer: Is There an Optimal Follow-up for Patients with Colorectal Cancer?. Current Colorectal Cancer Reports, 6(1), pp.24-29.
Selected Clinical Trials in Colorectal Cancer. (2006). Clinical Colorectal Cancer, 6(3), p.235.
Zeuner, A., Todaro, M., Stassi, G. and De Maria, R. (2014). Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells: From the Crypt to the Clinic. Cell Stem Cell, 15(6), pp.692-705.
