Colonrectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer means cancer of the large bowel and rectum. This is the third commonest cancer in the UK with approximately 40,000 new cases each year.
Symptoms:
- The common symptoms for bowel cancer include rectal bleeding, persistent change in bowel habits , weight loss, anaemia, difficulty in evacuation of bowels
- Right colon cancers are more likely to present with anaemia
- Left colon and rectal cancers are more likely to present with altered bowel habits, rectal bleeding and tenesmus (feeling of incomplete evacuation)
Investigation
- Clinical examination and routine blood tests.
- Colonoscopy for direct visualisation of the colon.
- Staging of disease requires CT scan of chest, abdomen and pelvis and in case of rectal Cancer an MRI of the rectum.
Treatment:
- Early diagnosis is the key to achieving long term survival.
- Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for bowel cancer.
- Most of the operations can be performed by Laparoscopic "Keyhole" approach.
- Some patients with colonic cancer will require chemotherapy before or more commonly after the operation.
- Some patients with rectal cancer may require chemo-radiotherapy before the operation followed by chemotherapy after surgery.
- Patients are usually followed up for five years after potentially curative surgery.
- The follow-up includes clinical examination, blood test to check tumour markers ,Two CT scans in first three years and a colonoscopy at one year.