As you know, early diagnosis of cancer leaves the patient with good chances for remission. But not always the symptoms of bowel cancer in men are sufficiently pronounced to recognize the pathology in the early stages. Quite often, a malignant tumor localized in the gastrointestinal tract proceeds without any signs until it becomes irreversible. It is not easy to prevent oncology, but knowing about the factors that provoke the development of the pathological process, you can minimize the risks of its occurrence.
Is bowel cancer hereditary?
As horrible as it may sound, no one is immune from bowel cancer. In men, the cause of this disease is most often a hereditary predisposition. The genetic factor plays an almost key role in the development of the disease. If in the anamnesis of at least one of the ascending relatives was diagnosed with bowel cancer, the person really has a greater chance of developing the disease than someone whose family knows about oncology only by hearsay.
However, cancerous heredity is notsentence. To directly start the pathological process, it is necessary to influence certain factors and the presence of a number of unfavorable conditions.
The most likely causes of a tumor
The likelihood of a malignant process increases with age. That is why patients over fifty, regardless of gender, are recommended to undergo annual preventive examinations by a proctologist and gastroenterologist.
Intestinal cancer is a polyetiological disease. This means that several factors can be the causes of the tumor at the same time. Considering that in the modern world it is almost impossible to completely avoid the effects of carcinogens on the body, it is advisable to single out separate groups of men prone to this disease:
- workers in the chemical industry, especially asbestos and sawmills;
- persons who do not adhere to the basics of rational nutrition;
- men leading an unhe althy lifestyle;
- patients suffering from chronic diseases (precancerous).
Can colon cancer be due to poor diet?
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that the chances of developing an oncological process increase significantly with the influence of certain dietary habits. For example, the risk of malignant processes in the body is increased by the regular consumption of red meat and the deficiency of fiber and plant products that enter the body. The appearance of the first symptoms of bowel cancer in men directlyassociated with lifestyle. Alcohol abuse, however, like smoking, adversely affects the protective functions of the body.
Precancerous diseases as a risk factor
Also at risk of cancer are men with chronic or untreated pathologies, accompanied by a prolonged inflammatory process.
For the formation of a neoplasm, the course of nonspecific ulcerative colitis, proctitis and sigmoiditis can become a precancerous stage. Benign polyps in the intestines are one of the common problems in both adult men and women. Under certain conditions, they may undergo a process of malignancy.
General manifestations of pathology in the initial stages
It is possible to recognize the signs of bowel cancer in the early stages only in isolated cases. Specific symptoms of the disease in the initial stages, as a rule, are absent. But there are a number of points, the appearance of which should alert any person. If the following symptoms persist, it is important to seek immediate medical attention and an examination:
- general weakness of the body;
- instant fatigue;
- pallor of skin, mucous membranes;
- systematic or stable subfebrile condition;
- dizziness;
- headache;
- drastic weight loss for no apparent reason;
- changing the shape, color of feces, the appearance of impurities in it.
Other symptoms of lower GI cancer
Ba separate group of symptoms and signs of bowel cancer in both men and women should include disorders of the digestive system. The above symptoms to a greater extent characterize the general condition of the patient, characteristic of the development of many diseases, and not only cancer.
Sometimes it is possible to confirm the diagnosis of "colon cancer" by the condition of completely different organs. In men, the symptoms of a neoplasm will be associated with its germination in nearby tissues and organs (prostate, bladder, pelvic bones). In most cases, blood in the urine and painful urination itself indicate an advanced stage of the tumor.
The most obvious signs of a tumor
The chance of confirming cancer is highest in the case of the following changes observed in the gastrointestinal tract:
- Dyspeptic disorders. These include nausea, heartburn, belching with a bitter or sour taste, loss of appetite. Less often, vomiting joins the above symptoms of bowel cancer in men.
- Violations of the acts of defecation. In the presence of this symptom, most often we have to talk about the obvious progression of the disease. An enlarged neoplasm can interfere with normal bowel movements, closing the intestinal lumen. Stenosis as a symptom of small intestine cancer in men can be observed at an early stage of the disease. If we talk about the large intestine, then in this case we can say that, most likely, the tumor has reachedinoperable sizes.
- Enterocolitic symptoms include manifestations characteristic of a tumor of a particular localization: pain on palpation, swelling and constipation, impaired formation of feces.
Clinical trials for suspected bowel cancer
Diagnosis of bowel cancer in men is a whole range of research procedures to detect malignant changes in the earliest stages of the disease. So, the examination of the patient is carried out in several ways:
- rectal-finger diagnostics (examination by a proctologist);
- palpation method;
- CT and MRI;
- colonoscopy;
- irrigoscopy;
- rectomanoscopy;
- laboratory tests (blood, urine, feces, histological studies).
The first two procedures are performed during the inspection. However, palpation can only detect rectal cancer, located near the anus. When probing the abdomen and the impressive size of the tumor, changes in the intestinal walls can also be detected. The rest of the methods are classified as invasive and non-invasive instrumental studies that allow you to comprehensively and objectively study the organ cavity.
What is the prognosis for bowel cancer doctors give?
The prognosis for recovery depends on how soon the symptoms of bowel cancer manifested themselves in a man and whether the disease was diagnosed in a timely manner. Pathology is really dangerous, and when detected at a latestages, the survival rate of patients as a percentage is extremely low. However, this does not mean at all that you should lay down your hands when the symptoms of bowel cancer in men appear. How long patients with this diagnosis live and what is the probability of healing, no oncologist can unequivocally answer, since this question affects such an aspect as quality of life.
Undoubtedly, a medical prognosis for a malignant tumor of any localization cannot be given with absolute accuracy. Life expectancy for bowel cancer depends on:
- effectiveness of the chosen treatment tactics;
- presence of additional diseases;
- patient's consent to give up bad habits;
- eliminate stressful situations and worries.
In the predominant number of cases, resection of a part of the intestine helps to achieve a high level of quality of life for a cancer patient. This operation for bowel cancer is necessary to excise the organ, followed by the imposition of a colostomy.
How long do people live with this disease?
If we consider the chances of a patient to recover based on the detected stage of the disease, then doctors predict the possibility of patients for a five-year survival rate as follows:
- In the first stage, when the cancer cells have not had time to spread, approximately 9 out of 10 patients beat bowel cancer.
- At the second stage, when the neoplasm grows into the walls of the intestine, an average of 7 out of ten people achieve stable remission.
- Characteristicfor the third stage of cancer, damage to nearby lymph nodes and metastasis reduces the patient's chances of recovery - only in half of clinical cases, patients manage to cope with cancer at this stage.
- The fourth stage leaves little hope of a cure - only three out of ten men overcome the disease.
When Cancer Surgery Isn't Possible?
Modern methods of treatment of bowel cancer help to stop the progression of the tumor, and in some cases - rid the patient of pathology forever. The choice of therapy largely depends on the location of the neoplasm. Thus, the treatment of colorectal cancer is based on a surgical approach. The tumor and surrounding tissues are removed. But combined treatment helps to prolong the life of cancer patients.
The choice of intervention technique lies on the shoulders of the attending physician. The final decision on surgical removal of the tumor, as a rule, is made by a consultation of specialists. But not always the symptoms of colon cancer in men are an indication for surgery. Patients whose tumor affects one or more nearby organs are most often recognized as inoperable. Thus, the complete removal of the neoplasm in some cases does not guarantee the preservation of the life of the patient.
The role of chemotherapy drugs in oncology of the colon and small intestine
Chemotherapy for bowel cancer in men in most cases is an auxiliary measure, like radiation therapy. Patients operated onlate stages of tumor development, in half of the cases overcame the threshold of three-year survival, a third of patients - five years. To date, chemotherapy in the fight against bowel cancer is rarely used as a standalone treatment.
The main limiting condition is the resistance of tumor cells to cytostatics. At the same time, the systemic use of chemotherapy drugs before and after surgery allows you to fix the result of exposure to cancer cells. In some cases, cytostatics are administered to the patient directly into the blood vessel that feeds the tumor and metastases. The universal and most common drug for the treatment of cancer is "5-fluorouracil". In addition to it, other cytostatic complexes can be used:
- "Capecitabine";
- "Oxaliplastin";
- "Irinotecan".
Immunomodulators that stimulate the patient's humoral and cellular immunity can enhance the effect of chemotherapy.
What are the surgical treatments for bowel cancer?
Radical cancer treatment involves the use of various surgical techniques. To remove a tumor of the intestine is most often used:
- conservative methods of resection of the affected area of the small or large intestine, vessels feeding and surrounding it;
- removal of a piece of intestine through a small incision in the abdominal wall;
- elimination of neoplasmalong with a complex of lymph nodes and metastases (use of a high-frequency surgical knife).
Any oncological disease is insidious and unpredictable. At the first signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, you should immediately contact a specialist. It is important to understand: in the early stages, healing is almost guaranteed, in the later stages it is unlikely.
