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The body is made up of many types of
cells that normally grow, divide, and produce more cells as
needed through the years to keep the body healthy and
functioning properly. However, sometimes the process goes
wrong in any given moment, when cells become abnormal and
form more cells in an uncontrolled way that form a mass of
tissue, called a growth or tumor.
Tumors can be benign, which means not cancerous, or
malignant, which means the presence of cancer in the body;
colon is not an exception to develop this condition.
Cancer of the colon or rectum is also called colorectal
cancer that occurs when tumors form in the lining of the
large intestine, also called the large bowel which is part
of the digestive system.
Also renowned celebrities such as Mae West, John Lennon,
Damon Wayans, Janet Jackson, James Coburn, and so many
other celebrities have used enemas cleansing methods and
even declared how these therapies helped them. Since Dr.
Robert Charm stated back in 1999 that colon hydrotherapy
is a more aesthetic body clean-out than a bowel movement,
many celebrities were interested to see why he said that a
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be.
Cancer cells may break away from the malignant tumor and
enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system, which
transports white blood cells that fight infection, and
from where the cells travel to other organs in the body
spreading from its original location in the colon to
another part of the body such as the liver. When this
condition occurs it is called metastatic colorectal cancer
and not liver cancer.
If colorectal cancer spreads, it usually tends to spread
to the liver or lungs, however, today it is easier to
treat colorectal cancer but, as with almost all cancers,
the earlier the detection the more likely that the
treatment will be successful. When colon cancer is
detected in its early stages, it is up to 90 percent are
curable.
It is not known exactly what causes colorectal cancer,
but some risk factors for the disease have been
identified. Risk factor means anything that increases the
chances of getting a disease. Studies have demonstrated
that factors including age, diet, personal history,
polyps, family history, and ulcerative colitis increase
individuals chances of developing colorectal cancer
Colon cancer is more likely to occur as people are
getting older and is more common in women than in men over
the age of 50, but younger people can get it, too. Only in
very few rare cases, it can occur in adolescence.
Although, most cancers in their early stages do not show
any symptoms. This is the reason why it is important to
have regular tests and screenings to check for cancer even
when you might not notice anything change, sign or
symptom.
When colon cancer first develops, there may be no
symptoms at all but changes as the cancer grows that
people should watch for such as constant tiredness, a
change in bowel habits, narrower than normal stools, blood
in the stool, diarrhea or constipation, gas, bloating,
fullness, cramps, vomiting, unexplained anemia or weight
loss, feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
accompanied by abdominal discomfort.
If you experience any of these symptoms for more than a
few days contact your physician to determine the cause and
insist on getting a colonoscopy if you suspect these
symptoms might indicate colorectal cancer. Do not wait to
feel pain because early cancer usually does not cause any
pain.
Unfortunately, cancer can be well advanced before they
are detected so the most effective prevention of colon
cancer is early detection and removal of precancerous
colon polyps before they turn malignant. Diagnosis of
colon cancer can be made either by barium enema or by
colonoscopy with biopsy confirmation of cancer tissue.
Colonoscopy is a procedure whereby a physician inserts a
long, flexible viewing tube into the rectum for the
purpose of inspecting the inside of the entire colon and
generally considered more accurate diagnose technique than
barium enema x-rays in detecting small polyps. Treatment
of colorectal cancer depends on the size, location and
extent of cancer spread, as well as the age, clinical
history and general health of the patient, although
surgery is the most common treatment for this disease.
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