Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignancy of the large bowel. It is the third most common cancer in men and woman and the second leading cause of cancer related death in the Unites States. In 2011, an estimated 135,260 new cases of colon cancer were diagnosed, including 70,099 men and 65,161 women. Almost half of all patients (51,783) diagnosed, died from CRC.1 Incidence varies by sex, age, and race and is highest in black males.2 The etiology for most large bowel cases appears to be related to environmental factors and is more common in urban areas. Mortality of CRC tends to follow the amount of food intake, including meat, protein, dietary fat, and amount of fiber.3 Hereditary factors account for nearly 25% of all CRC cases and is subdivided into two major groups: polyposis and non-polyposis syndromes. Polyposis colon cancer results from a defect in the colonic mucosa and impaired DNA repair mechanisms. It is associated with a deletion in the long arm of chromosome 5. Non-polyposis colon cancer is characterized by histologically documented colorectal cancer in multiple family members. It is associated with multiple mutations on several genes, with hMSH2 on chromosome 2 and hMLH1 on chromosome 3 exhibiting the major role in the development of cancer. …show more content…
It is associated with: depth of tumor penetration into the large bowel, regional lymph node involvement, and distant metastases. Patients with multiple metastases and lymph node invasion are more likely to have a more aggressive clinical course.4 Current recommended screening options include high-sensitivity fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy.5 The listed studies have fairly high sensitivities and specificities for CRC itself, but low sensitivity for the detection of advanced adenomas. Additional stool-based methods are in development, offering more options for colorectal cancer screening, including a fecal DNA
If the FIT comes back positive the client is then offered further diagnostic testing, which is usually a colonoscopy (MOH, 2017). The FIT is particularly important for the detection of colorectal cancer as 80% of patients with this test positive (“Fecal occult blood tests”, 2016). A colonoscopy involves a doctor inserting a flexible scope into the anus, to visualise the interior walls of the rectum and colon (“Colonoscopy, assisting”, 2016). During the colonoscopy, the doctor is able to remove any polyps in the colonic or rectal wall and/or take samples as required (“Colonoscopy, assisting”, 2016; MOH, 2017). Any samples that are taken are sent to the laboratory where a diagnosis can be made, usually within a period of two weeks (Davis at al., 2016, p.305).
What is Mr. Watt’s risk factors related to colon cancer? Consider all aspects of his health, his family history and his culture.
Participation was highest among Europeans with 60.3%, followed by Asians with a rate of 51.3% and Maori with 42.0% (Ministry of Health, 2015). Females were less likely to have a colonoscopy and below 1.5 times less likely to have a positive iFOBT result than males (Ministry of Health, 2015). This variation was found for each age group (Ministry of Health, 2015). Maori were slightly more likely to have a positive iFOBT result than Europeans (Ministry of Health, 2015). Moreover, females were about twice unlikely to have and adenoma, advanced adenoma, or cancer detected than males (Ministry of Health, 2015).
Colorectal cancer, also called colon cancer, is a disease in which cancer cells form in the colon, which is the upper five to six feet of the large bowel, or large intestine. Hereditary factors play a role in colorectal cancer risk, but it can also be caused by outside factors. “Excluding skin cancer, it is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States” (American Cancer Society). Colorectal cancer has been known since ancient times, and it is becoming less fatal as research becomes more advanced. Great efforts have been put forth for investigation. Some studies have been performed on organisms such as yeast and bacteria, such as one in 1993, conducted by Dr. Bert Vogelstein, MD, led to the discovery of
Lynch syndrome, also known as Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Carcinoma (HNPCC), was characterized in 1966 by Henry T. Lynch. His research in the 1960’s was prompted by a single patient’s response. According to (Lynch & Lynch, 2004, p. 182), “…the patient’s response was that he knew that he, like “everyone” in his family, was going to die of cancer, and that it would likely be cancer of the colon, although he realized that many other cancers had also affected the family” (p. 182). Years of research involving this patient’s family led to a common connection. Family N showed a well-defined autosomal dominant mode of genetic transmission of carcinoma of the colon with early age of cancer onset, multiple primaries, and with the integral association of carcinoma of the endometrium and ovary (Lynch & Lynch, 2004, p. 182-183). Therefore, it was found that gene mutations put a person at high risk for CRC and endometrial cancer at a much younger age. Since then, Lynch
Family history or symptoms may make this screening occur earlier. There are several ways to diagnose the cancer. In a colonoscopy, the doctor inserts a small, flexible viewing tube into the rectum. Any polyps that are found can be removed and sent to a pathologist to be examined. A barium enema involves patients drinking a white substance containing barium that helps the intestines to show up on x-rays. A blood test that tests for tumor markers of colon cancer may also be performed.
Colon and rectum cancer, much like many other cancers, are researched and analyzed in order to study the trends of the disease. Either of these cancers are also named colorectal cancer for reference to either colon or rectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is in the top five most commonly diagnosed cancer within the United States, standing at number four. There are 50,260 estimated deaths from colon and rectum cancer, ultimately making up the estimated 8.4 percent of all diagnosed cancers. New cases of these cancers have decreased since 1992; deaths have also decreased. Statistics show deaths and numbers of cases diagnosed have been decreasing by over two percent each year for the last ten years.
Colon cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world as most patients don’t have any symptoms in the early stages of the illness.
For the secondary prevention strategies for CRC we have frequent genetic testing and frequent preventive treatment process, conducting regular procedures which aim at looking for cancer signs and symptoms. For patients with ulcerative colitis or hereditary colon cancer it would be encouraged to perform a colon removal surgery. According to KHEIR (Korean Health Education, Information, and Research Center), not all hormone replacement procedures helps in decreasing the risk of getting colorectal cancer and in any case it can lead to breast cancer issues, blood clots and heart diseases.
Being spotted with colon rectal cancer is a nerve-wracking time for everyone. Colon rectal cancer befalls when there are malevolent cancer cells that develop and grow in the tissues of the colon. The colon is portion of human's digestive system. Having a healthy digestive system is imperative for ensuring our overall sense of welfare. It is the hub where wastes are removed quickly out of our body and it is accountable for processing and absorbing all the vital nutrients, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water and minerals. Not everyone falls into the high-risk group of patients who develop colon rectal cancer. Some individuals are more in jeopardy than the others. The factors consist of somebody who is at or over the age of fifty, somebody
Neufeld and her fellow scientists, the threat of colon cancer has drastically declined. Between 1975 and 2009, the five-year colon cancer survival rate increased from 48.6% to 66.4% (National Cancer Institute). Despite these improvements, colon cancer remains the fourth most diagnosed cancer, following cancers of the breast, lung, and prostate. Moreover, it causes the second most deaths, with colon and rectal cancers combining to cause over 51,813 fatalities in 2013 (CDC). Scientists’ work to improve the diagnosis of colon cancer is particularly crucial, as it is commonly referred to as a “silent killer”. Oftentimes, it has no accompanying symptoms and people decide not to be tested via a colonoscopy. Once symptoms arise, the cancer tends to be in an advanced stage, at which point survival rates plunge from 90% to 10% (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy). Should a novel, noninvasive method be developed to predict and diagnose colon cancer, it is likely the survival rate would increase exponentially in the
Colorectal cancer is becoming an increasingly greater threat of death from cancer but if caught early the survival rate increases about 90% so screening is very important as a diagnostic tool.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Many of the colorectal cancers develop from precanurous polyps. Polyps are growths that rise in the lining of the colon and can be visible when the bowel is examined by endoscopy. There are two types of polyps: Aderiomatous and hyperplasic polyps. Aderiomatous polyps can become cancerous over the time and progress takes at least ten years in most men. Signs of colon cancer include a change in your bowel system (diarrhea or constipation or a change in the constant of your stool) that last for more than four weeks. Rectal signs are bleeding or blood in your stool. Many people may feel discomfort, such as pain or cramps. Others may even become weak or even fatigue. Multiple people who have colon cancer may experience no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. When the symptoms finally appear, they will likely vary, depending on the cancers size and the location in your large intestine. The primary goal of the screenings is to prevent deaths from colon cancer. Screening test can help identify cancers at an early and potentially at a curable stage. Screening can even prevent you from also true development of cancer by identifying and treating precancerous abnormal growths that can be removed before they become malignant. Physicians recommend that adults undergo colon cancer screening starting at the age 50 or maybe even earlier just depending on their risk of developing colorectal cancer. The screening tests are currently available each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Treatment for colon cancer is based on how severe the stage of cancer, but there are other important factors. People with colon cancer that have not spread to distant sites usually have surgery as the main or
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the main world-wide health problems, which is the third most common cancer in man, the second most common cancer in women worldwide [1]. CRC also shows high mortality, it is the 4th most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and the 2nd most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States [2, 3]. CRC is recognized as a heterogeneous disease that characterized by various abnormal genetic and epigenetic alterations in several signaling pathways are responsible for carcinogenesis and all features of CRC [4, 5]. One of these major molecular pathways that have been implicated in colon carcinogenesis is NF-κB signaling pathway [6].
The natural history of transition of polyp to cancer pathway is well known. Colorectal cancer can be prevented to a large extent by removing polyps. Additionally, detection of colorectal cancer in early stage by screening also results in lower mortality rate. Hence colorectal cancer screening is recommended for asymptomatic average risk individuals. In the study by M. Aronsson, one-time colonoscopy yielded 49 more quality adjusted life years (QALYs) as compared to screening twice with FIT gave 26 more QALYs. All screening strategies showed cost effectiveness as compared to no screening though colonoscopy was more cost effective than FIT.6