Health Tip: How To Diagnose Colon CancerColon cancer can affect anyone, no matter the age, gender, or race. While proper methods and procedures are available in clinics and hospitals worldwide to help people with this type of cancer minimize or even remove all the symptoms of rectal cancer, many people do not often recognize symptoms of colon cancer, especially in its early stages. Most people also do not often go for regular medical checkups or for colon cancer screening to be certain of their conditions. Many of the symptoms of colon cancer revolve around changes in the bowel movements from anything as mild as diarrhea and constipation, to rectal bleeding. It is only after the colon cancer is in its more advanced stages that a person actually begins to feel the bad effects. Upon going to a doctor to ascertain whether or not one has colon cancer, or is in the early stages of it, the doctor can go through different types of tests to help determine and diagnose the person’s condition. One of them includes a rectal exam, where the doctor feels for any abnormal areas along the rectum by inserting a lubricated and gloved finger. This is not able to detect small traces of colon cancer, as it can only feel any instances of large colon cancer tumors in this method, and more coon cancer tests will be required for a more positive determination. Nonetheless, this is very frequently a required part of a general medical checkup, especially among the elderly. A fecal occult blood test is another means by which colon cancer can be tested for. Traces of blood in a patient’s stool can detect blood loss within a person’s bowel movement, even if this is not visible to the naked eye. Another method is through endoscopy. This is a procedure where a probe is inserted into the patient’s rectum to search for any abnormalities within the area. There are actually two types of endoscopy. 1. Sigmoidoscopy examines the sigmoid, also known as the descending colon, where tumors generally occur, and has proven to be a very effective tool in detecting colon disease. 2. The other is colonoscopy, which examines a greater are of the colon and, when detecting traces of tumors in the area, can also immediately remove them during the procedure. These types of rectal exams are also used for determining the causes of diarrhea, or other bowel-related problems. There are many other ways to diagnose colon cancer. Some colon cancer screening tests may include stool DNA testing, where traces can be found by testing the person’s feces, and has proven to also be effective in determining colon cancer. There are other less conventional methods of diagnosing for colon cancer that are not usually done, including genetic counseling and genetic testing, where family members can be treated in cases of hereditary colon cancer, and positron emission topography, where a radioactive sugar is given to the patient through injections. This sugar can collect information on tissues with high metabolic rates, which cancer tumors have also been known to have. Blood tests can also measure the level of protein in a person’s blood, which helps determine the number of possible tumors in the system. Colon cancer is a very serious illness and detecting it early on can determine your chances of survival. The best thing to do is to go for colon cancer screening as soon as the symptoms appear. |