Rectal cancer

introduction

The disease is called rectal cancer when malignant growths (tumors) have formed in the last section of the intestine.

The last section of the colon is called the rectum. In this section there is no more absorption.
The stool is only stored in this section to be emptied through the anus (anus) to leave the body.
Please also read our article on this Rectal cancer

Cancer of the rectum develops preferentially in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and is therefore referred to as adenocarcinoma.
Colon cancer is much more common than small bowel cancer; it is believed that the reason for this is the significantly longer time the food remains in the colon.

Regarding colon cancer itself, rectal cancer is not diagnosed quite as often as tumors in other parts of the colon. Usually people over middle age get this disease. However, rectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in both women and men. As with all other types of cancer in the intestinal tract, with this form of cancer it is important to discover and treat the tumor as early as possible.

root cause

Rectal cancer is caused by abnormal mucosal cells that grow uncontrollably and no longer die as normal. This leads to the growths. Why the cells degenerate cannot be determined 100%. But there are certain factors that favor this. Since this is an important part of the digestive tract, diet is not insignificant. You should eat a healthy, balanced and high-fiber diet as possible, as the food pulp is in the large intestine (the rectum is part of the large intestine) for a long time and this is where the greater damage (compared to the small intestine) often occurs. Pollutants from smoking are also said to promote the development of rectal cancer, which is why smoking should be avoided entirely. Diseases of the intestinal tract such as polyps and benign growths can also facilitate the development of a tumor. Diseases such as Crohn's disease, which are chronic and often severely affect the intestinal wall, are also risk factors. In any case, it should be added that, of course, people who have no risk factors at all can develop rectal cancer. Many mistakes occur in the renewal of the body's own cells throughout life. Normally, the body has repair mechanisms that reverse and make up for these errors. Nevertheless, defective cells remain in the body over the course of life and can trigger tumor formation in due course.

Read more on the subject at: What are the causes of colon cancer?

Symptoms

At Rectal cancer one finds similar or the same symptoms as with Small bowel cancer or Tumors in other sections of the colon. Even with this form of the Colon cancer Symptoms usually appear very late and initially only cause diffuse and very ambiguous complaints. In most patients they change Bowel habits sometimes very drastically. It often comes to Constipation or diarrhea, often the two states also alternate. As with many other types of cancer, these patients often lose a lot Weight. So you should with one unwanted and major weight loss definitely become clairaudient in a relatively short time. A tumor needs a lot of energy, which it takes from the rest of the body and slowly uses up the resources. In addition, weight is also lost due to the diarrhea. In many patients it occurs Abdominal pain in the intestines on. Often reports of a drop in performance and significantly increased fatigue, the patients often do not feel like doing something. Often patients become aware of the tumor when they become aware of the Stool blood added. One should always keep an eye on the chair and the appearance in order not to overlook such symptoms as possible. Sometimes it can be too Intestinal obstruction come. In this case the patient must immediately to the hospital and be operated on. Such a Intestinal obstruction (Ileus) looks like this: The intestine is completely or partially closed, which causes the food pulp to build up and the intestinal wall to stretch a lot. The enormous stretch and pressure increase also affects other organs and can even become one Multiple organ failure to lead. Intestinal bacteria multiply much faster and it comes to enormous flatulence. The strong stretching also leads to a high loss of fluid. As a result, the high multiplication of intestinal bacteria can also lead to a Blood poisoning (sepsis) come. Patients also often complain of large ones Abdominal pain.

complaints

With rectal cancer, there are many complaints, most of all great abdominal pain, which mainly occurs at an advanced stage. It also leads to significantly increased fatigue and listlessness. Those affected are significantly less productive. Weight loss, which is often very high, also has a very detrimental effect on life for many patients, as the strength for many things is often lacking. Since diarrhea often occurs in addition to constipation, these two symptoms are also considered to be a great burden for those affected.

Please also read our article on this Pain in the rectum

Signs

The signs of Rectal cancer do, as mentioned, mostly very late noticeable. Many patients have a lot no symptoms for a long time. In many cases, symptoms only become noticeable when the tumor has reached a certain size and / or secondary tumors have formed in other organs. In many cases, the late discovery of the disease means that a variety of therapies are necessary in order to achieve a possible recovery. A simple operation is almost never enough.

diagnosis

As already mentioned several times, the Rectal cancer discovered very late in the course of various symptoms. Often the patients have suffered from these complaints over a longer period of time, up to one Colonoscopy is carried out. Through this examination, the doctor can get an idea of ​​the conditions in the intestine. Often here is a first suspicion expressed and corroborated. Before such an examination, the family doctor will conduct an appropriate one anamnese (Conversation) and do a first physical examination. Should there be a suspicious growth through the Colonoscopy show, further research will be carried out.
There is also one Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen in question which one completely harmless investigation is because the patient is not exposed to radiation here. There is also the option of one Ultrasound. The remedy of choice is usually this Computed Tomographywith which you can find out the status of the disease very precisely. It is also important that the patient is examined not only in the intestine, but also the rest of the body close examination undergoes because the tumor is already Daughter tumors could have formed in other organs. Every type of cancer has preferred regions to which it initially spreads, i.e. where cancer cells migrate and form further tumors. But in order to precisely determine the tissue and the nature of the tumor, there is always one biopsy carried out. For this purpose, a small part of the Tissue taken from the malignant growthwhich is then carefully examined in the laboratory. Only when one has carried out all these examinations and one has divided the rectal cancer into the correct stage, the appropriate and on the patient appropriate therapy to advise.

treatment

The rectal cancer is treated in the same way as all other tumors in the intestinal region.

Read more about the topic: Colon Cancer Therapy

Which treatment is selected depends on the patient's physical condition, age, whether the site of the tumor is operable and accessible, and what stage the disease is at. Above all, there is surgery as a possible form of therapy. This is used when the person is in good physical condition and the disease is in its early stages. In addition, metastases are operated on in some cases if they are located in operable locations in the body. Surgery is often used when the treatment is curative, that is, when the patient is expected to recover. But it is also often used to extend the life of the person affected. In connection with an operation, chemotherapy is often done afterwards to actually eliminate any cancer cells that may already be in other areas of the body, such as in other organs or in the blood or lymphatic system. Chemotherapy is also used for palliative treatments. Palliative means that the treatment is no longer aimed at a cure, but at a life that is as pain-free as possible and, if possible, one tries to prolong life. Tumors can often be reduced in size by means of radiation therapy or chemotherapy so that they can then be operated on. The doctor responsible must clarify which form of treatment is used in each case. It also depends on how well or poorly the therapy is tolerated. Many patients, especially with chemotherapy, often have severe side effects and in some cases it has to be paused or stopped entirely. Radiation therapy is less stressful than chemotherapy. Although chemotherapy puts such a strain on the body, it should never be forgotten that very good results can often be achieved with its help.

Read more about this at: Radiation therapy for colon cancer

OP

A Surgery is the best option for therapy, however, it cannot always be used. As mentioned above, it is mostly used when the disease is in its early stages, or when there is cancer of the rectum or the Metastases could shrink through another therapy. Often can through surgery of the entire tumor removed become. Sometimes metastases are also removed in order to extend the life span. But often stay, especially with Rectal cancer, certain after-effects are noticeable for the patient. However, since it is the intestines, it can become too after a successful operation and recovery of the patient Digestive problems and changed bowel habits. Those affected suffer more often from constipation or diarrheawhich can also be detrimental to the psyche.

Chances of recovery / prognosis

As with many other types of cancer, the chances of recovery depend heavily on the in what stage the disease is located. If you discover the Rectal cancer very early, often in the course of a preventive examination, the chances are good that there are no metastases and an operation can be carried out in which the entire tumor can be removed. The later you discover the cancer, the less good the chances of recovery and the less good the prognosis. Especially if there are already metastases and the tumor is already very large, often only palliative therapy is possible.

Life expectancy

As mentioned above, life expectancy depends entirely on when rectal cancer is discovered. Initially, when the tumor is still very small and there are no metastases, life expectancy is often very good and it is said that around 90% of patients will survive the next 5 years. (For cancer, a 5-year survival rate is always calculated). As the disease progresses, life expectancy also decreases.

Read more on the topic: Life expectancy in colon cancer

prophylaxis

A definitely effective one There is no prophylaxis. But you can or should try to get one healthy lifestyle to be observed. Lots of exercise and a balanced diet, as well as on Refrain from smoking and excessive alcohol consumptionthat can take the risk Rectal cancer to decrease illness. It is also a regular prevention essential if you want to be sure to discover a possible disease as early as possible.