Download What is Colorectal Cancer

What is Colorectal Cancer ( Bowel Cancer)?
Bowel cancer or colorectal cancer is malign neoplasms seen on colon or rectum. In western
world it is the third most common cancer type. Usually it originates from adenomatous polyps
in colon. It creates 10-15% of all cancers and it is the most common type among
gastrointestinal system (digestive system) cancers. It is the second common cause of death
among men following lung cancer and third most common cause of death in women following
breast and lung.
What are the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer?
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Mass in abdomen
• Blood in the stool
• Anemia
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss
What are the risk factors for colorectal cancer?
• Age (Age 40 and over)
• Nutrition (fatty and poor in fiber food)
• Alcohol
• Cigarettes
• Polyps (These are tissue growth within the inner wall of colon)
• Medical history
• Ulcerative colitis
Is early diagnosis possible in colorectal cancer?
Recovery rate is 80-90% in early diagnosed cancers. Benign polyps should be diagnosed
before getting malign and extracted surgically.
Polyps and early stages of cancer usually do not manifest any signs. Polipler ve kanserin
erken aşamaları, genellikle belirti vermezler. Therefore rectal examination, sigmodoscopy
and faecal occult blood test should be done after age 40.