Bowel cancer symptoms do not typically manifest themselves until it is too late. This can make detection of this form of cancer very hard. Firstly though, what is the bowel? It is made up of three parts: the small bowel, which absorbs nutrients from food, and the large bowel which is made up of the colon and the rectum. It is the large bowel which typically develops cancer.
Thie type of cancer typically develop from polyps; tiny growths hidden deep inside the colon or the rectum, yet, to make things more complicated, not all polyps become cancerous. Yet, removing these polyps greatly decreases the risks of cancer of the bowel. But, no one really knows why the cancers appear; experts have place these down to a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. The risks do increase once the self is at least 50 years of age, or have a family history of colorectal cancers.
Irregular bowel motions is one of the symptoms of bowel cancer. Having loose bowel motions and constipation, bleeding from rectum or blood after bowel motion and persistent abdominal pain is commonly reported among sufferers of bowel cancer. Sometimes, cancer symptoms cause the hidden bleeding of the bowel, this is usually undetectable through the naked eye. The bleeding depletes red blood cells of iron reserves, causing anaemia and the self would usually look pale and tired. Other public have reported frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness and cramps. Rectal bleeding but, is not necessarily a symptom of bowel cancer, and is sometimes caused by haemorrhoids. In 10% of all cases, tumours from the cancer of the bowel can obstruct the passage of faeces through the body and causes a medical emergency everywhere the obstruction can only be removed via surgery. If left unchecked, bowel cancers can easily spread through the lymph nodes or organs to other parts of the body everywhere they can appear as malignant tumours.
To make things more difficult, not all bowel cancer symptoms listed above can confirm the presence of the disease. The only way to ensure accurate detection, a specialist in bowel schedule is needed to examine the patient through colonoscopy. Even a physical examination by a qualified General Practitioner would most likely reveal nothing about the existence of this cancer. Bowel cancer is best eliminated at its early stages and removal is usually through colonoscopy or general anaesthetic. A DIY kit (known as the Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)) is sometimes unfilled in stores to facilitate early detection, yet does not really confirm the cancer.
In conclusion, as colon and rectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries like Australia and the United States, early detection of bowel cancer symptoms is needed to diagnose this deadly disease. Frequent exercise and a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables can also help slow down the onset of cancer.
