The intestine is part of the digestive system and is divided into two parts: the large intestine and the small intestine. In turn, the large intestine is made up of the rectum and colon. The article will focus on such an ailment as intestinal oncology. Symptoms, treatment, diagnosis, causes of the disease - all these aspects will be given attention in the material presented, but first you need to figure out what structure and what functions this organ has.
Intestinal Anatomy
Food absorbed by a person first enters the esophagus. It passes through it and enters the stomach, where the process of digestion begins. Then the food enters the small intestine, and it is at this stage that the body absorbs all the nutrients from it. In the colon, which begins in the abdominal region, lower right, the body takes water from food. The first part of the colon that goes up is the ascending bypass. Then the transverse colon stretches from it to the left side of the peritoneum. Further, the descending colon descends to the bottom of the abdominal cavity. The large intestine ends at the sigmoidintestine, rectum and terminal part - the anus. The rectum accumulates waste products resulting from the digestive process. As a result of defecation, they are excreted from the body through the anus. There are also pea-sized lymph nodes near the intestine.
Risk factors
Intestinal oncology, the symptoms of which will be discussed below, is often colon cancer: in 2/3 of cases, the colon is affected and in 1/3 of the rectum. In other parts of the body, the tumor is extremely rare. The question of how to check the intestines for oncology is not the most important. The main thing is to know what factors can provoke the appearance of a tumor. There are three main conditions:
- organ diseases;
- malnutrition;
- heredity.
Let's talk more about each.
Intestinal diseases
There are diseases that increase the risk of developing cancer of this organ. These include ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Patients who have been diagnosed with such diagnoses are predisposed to the formation of a tumor.
Food
Oncology of the large intestine, the symptoms of which are absent in the early stages of the disease, can be caused by the consumption of a large amount of food rich in proteins and fats, provided there is insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables. In this case, the risk of developing colon cancer is significantly increased. A tumor can also appear in those who abuse alcohol.
Heredity
Morethan others, people in whose family there have already been cases of such an ailment are predisposed to oncology of the intestine. Those whose close relatives had cancer of this organ before the age of 45 should be especially worried. The risk is higher, the more cases of development of such a disease in the family. If there is a hereditary predisposition and fear of getting sick, you should contact a specialized medical institution and take an analysis for intestinal oncology. Doctors can use it to calculate the likelihood of cancer. People who are at risk should sound the alarm not when the first signs of intestinal oncology appear, but long before that. It should be regularly examined so that if a tumor develops, it can be detected at an early stage.
In addition to these factors, conditions such as a sedentary lifestyle, overweight, and smoking can also affect the appearance of cancer.
Intestinal oncology: symptoms
Depending on where the tumor develops, the manifestations of cancer may vary. The first signs of bowel cancer in case of damage to the colon:
- drastic weight loss;
- blood during bowel movements both on and inside feces (blood can be both light and dark);
- pain in the abdomen and anus;
- stool changes for no apparent reason (constipation or diarrhea lasting more than six weeks);
- intestinal obstruction;
- feeling incomplete after a bowel movement.
Intestinal oncology may cause slightly different symptoms if the tumor develops in the rectum. In this case, the following manifestations are possible:
- pain in the coccyx, perineum, lower back, sacrum;
- appearance of blood, mucus or pus in the feces;
- painful and frequent urge to defecate;
- feeling of something foreign in the rectum;
- constipation;
- acquisition of ribbon-shaped feces.
Symptoms means cancer?
Do not take the above signs as an absolute indicator of the development of cancer. Even if they occur, this does not mean that you definitely have bowel cancer. Symptoms may indicate other illnesses, such as IBS or ulcerative colitis. In addition, do not forget that cancer of this organ usually occurs in people after 50 years. If you belong to the younger generation, then most likely the cause of unpleasant symptoms lies elsewhere.
However, if signs of bowel cancer appear and do not disappear within a couple of weeks, but only intensify, you should immediately visit a doctor.
Diagnosis
Rectal examination is the first step in identifying a tumor. During it, the specialist checks the anus area with a finger for swelling. The lower part of the intestine, where cancer most often develops, can be examined with a sigmoidoscope, a flexible tube inserted into the rectum. Such manipulations do not always allow us to accurately determine the cause.painful symptoms. One of the main ways to check the intestines for cancer is a colonoscopy.
Performing a colonoscopy
Examination is done on the condition of an emptied organ, so the day before it, the patient is prescribed laxatives, intensive drinking and bowel lavage. The procedure itself is painless, although it may cause some discomfort.
First, the patient is sedated, and then a flexible long tube is inserted through the anus into the colon. Moving it along the bends of the intestine, the doctor examines the organ for abnormalities. This tube can be used to take biopsies and take photographs.
Barium enema
This is a procedure that allows you to examine the inside of an organ. It is quite unpleasant and tiring, besides, it can cause cramping pains. You need to prepare for the examination in the same way as with a colonoscopy. The method consists in introducing a mixture of barium with air into the anus and taking a series of x-rays. Under the influence of radioactive rays, barium becomes visible, and the specialist can track on the screen of the X-ray machine how it passes through the intestines and see tumors in the intestinal wall.
After the procedure, white stools may be observed for two days - this barium is gradually excreted from the body. You should take a laxative for several days, as the substance can cause constipation.
To find out if the cancer has spread to the restbody, studies such as ultrasound of the liver, CT scan of the liver and abdomen, chest x-ray can be performed.
Intestinal oncology: treatment
The main way to remove a tumor is surgery. Usually, during the operation, the tumor itself, surrounding tissues and nearby lymph nodes are excised. The two ends of the gut are then connected. If this is not possible, a colostomy is performed, which consists in bringing the open end of the intestine to the skin surface of the abdominal wall and attaching a colostomy bag. It happens that the colostomy is temporary, and after some time the surgeons again attempt to connect the ends of the intestine. If this fails, the colostomy remains forever. This usually happens when the area being operated on is very low in the colon, next to the rectum, and then during the operation it is impossible not to violate the anal sphincter, which controls bowel movements.
Other treatments
Today, advances in surgery have made it possible to treat bowel cancer without a colostomy. Instead of manual stitching, a stapler is now often used, which allows operations on the lower part of the colon to be performed without disturbing the functions of the anal sphincter.
One of the innovative methods is laparoscopic intervention, when the surgeon performs the operation through a small incision in the peritoneum, and does not open it completely. For the patient, this approach ensures a quick recovery.
Adjuvant Therapy
Even if the tumor is completely removed, there is a chance of recurrence of bowel cancer. How large it is can be found out during a microscopic examination of remote neoplasms. If the risk of a return of the disease is high, the doctor prescribes treatment aimed at preventing relapse. This treatment is called adjuvant therapy, it consists of taking various chemicals that have a detrimental effect on pathogens.
If the tumor developed in the rectum and sprouted through the wall of the organ, affecting the lymph nodes, then a relapse in the pelvic organs and other parts of the body is possible. In this case, along with adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant radiotherapy is also carried out. This method of treatment is resorted to even if there are no cancer cells left in the body.
In conclusion
Surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy currently cure about half of all patients diagnosed with bowel cancer. The cure rates are increasing every year, which gives us hope that there will be much fewer deaths from this terrible disease in the future. The main thing is to carefully monitor your condition and if suspicious symptoms are found, immediately consult a doctor. Stay he althy!
