Colorectal cancer which is commonly known as colon cancer is a situation, where a tumor or cancer cell block your colon passage. This blockage irritates your bowel, and sometimes you experience blood in stool. People experiencing colon cancer must undergo several treatment procedures, surgery being one of them.
Abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia and vomiting are few of the symptoms that indicate it’s time to visit a doctor. Sometimes, these symptoms are due to excessive infection, but when this infection continues for long, then it is no harm in consulting.
Any cancer is treated with lot of care and attention. Each kind of cancer has a specialist that has taken proper education in that stream. Similarly, for colorectal cancer you consult a colon cancer specialist. However, whether it is cancer or not is determined by a physician after undergoing certain tests like –
- Blood, stool and urine tests
- Fecal occult Blood Testing
- Digital rectal exam
- Colonoscopy
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- X-Ray
Once any of these tests confirm that you’re suffering with colon cancer, you are directed to the specialist. Here are few tips to decide a good specialist for your treatment –
- Check with your physician and ask them to prescribe the best specialist in his or her knowledge.
- Check his or her background and experience in this field. Also, including the success rate.
- Check the team that they work with, because a cancer specialist should have a team of radiologist and oncologist.
Depending upon the stage, treatment is decided. Sometimes, just by medication, some problems are treated well. When cancer becomes chronic then it has to be treated with these methods –
- Through surgery the tumor and surrounding tissues are removed. Depending upon the location of tumor, the type of surgery is held.
- Radiation is used to demolish cancer cells. It’s generally given, when you have rectal cancer as the tumor tends to reoccur at the same place.
- Through chemotherapy drugs are used to kill cancer cells and their chance to grow again. Chemotherapy is given through IV and also through oral tablets.
Cancer and its treatments always have side effects. Therefore, it is good to stay on healthy diet and routine check up with your doctor. Sometimes, patients suffer with trauma as they’re unable to bear the treatment. It is suggested to all family members to stand by their support and if required refer to a psychiatrist.
