If a person has tumors in their large intestine, there is a possibility of colon cancer; incidentally, colon cancer is the third most common cancer type in the country. The colon is the large intestine wherein the body will extract the salt and water from solid wastes. Waste is then eliminated from the body via the anus.

Knowing the symptoms and treatment of colon cancer is important for people who are at risk of developing it. Most cancers inside the rectum or colon region grow from polyps, and this makes it imperative to screen these to remove them at the beginning. Colon cancer typically causes no symptoms when it is in an early stage; the symptoms actually start to appear when the disease progresses.

Common signs and symptoms are as follows:

• Constipation
• Loose and narrow stools
• Changes in the consistency of stool
• Blood appears in the stool that may be visible or not
• Weakness and overall fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss
• Abdominal pains, bloating, cramping, etc
• Constant urge to defecate although stools are not being passed out
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Iron-deficiency anemia

Treatment Options
If one learns about the symptoms and treatment of colon cancer, they will know that any treatment depends on the stage at which the cancer is. The doctor will examine the patient’s overall health, age, and other characteristics to choose the right treatment method for him. Cancer in the colon cannot be removed or cured using a single method; the most common options are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation.

Surgery
This is usually done to remove either the whole or part of the colon that is affected. In a colectomy, the surgeon can remove the colon part that is cancer-ridden along with part of the surrounding area, like the lymph nodes to prevent cancer from spreading further. The surgeon then attaches a healthy part of the patient’s colon to create a stoma; this is an opening in the abdominal wall and through this waste can pass into a bag. So, the lower colon part is no longer needed. An endoscopy will remove the smaller localized cancers by inserting a flexible tube attached with a camera and light. Laparoscopic surgery is done by making tiny incisions in the patients’ abdomen to get rid of larger polyps. Palliative surgery aims to alleviate symptoms when advanced cancers are untreatable.

Chemotherapy
In this method, a group of professional caregivers will provide medicines interfering with cell division. This is done by disrupting proteins in order to kill or damage cancerous cells. The procedure will target all cells, even healthy ones. Side-effects include fatigue, hair loss, vomiting, nausea, etc.

Radiation therapy
This procedure focuses on using high-energy gamma rays for killing cancer cells. This is also done by a cancer care team and rays are given by a device outside the body. Radiation is often used together with other procedures for treating colon cancer. Side-effects are vomiting, nausea, skin changes, appetite loss, diarrhea, etc.

Targeted drug therapy
This therapy aims to deal with specific abnormalities inside the cancer cells. They then target these to make the cancer cells die. This procedure is typically done with chemotherapy. The therapy is reserved for patients suffering from advanced stage of colon cancer.

Immunotherapy
This is a drug therapy using the patient’s immune system for fighting cancer cells. The body’s own immune system might not attack cancerous cells since these cells release proteins blinding it from identifying these harmful cells. Immunotherapy interferes with this and is usually used for advanced cases.