colon rectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the developed world. Many people die in the mid Atlantic region of the U.S. of this dreadful disease. This is quite frustrating, because a large number of these patients could have been saved if they only had scheduled a screening test.

There are several things you can to prevent falling victim to colorectal cancer, aside from talking to a gastroenterologist in Maryland.

1. Know your family's medical history - Talk to your relatives to find out if there are any cases of colorectal cancer in the family. If there are, you should consult with your family physician. Ask to be screened regularly even before the age of 50.
2. Self examination - Keep an eye on changes in your stool. If it turns black and tarry, you may have a problem, e.g. the presence of hidden or occult blood in the stool. Talk to your family doctor before coming to any conclusions, as this abnormality can have other causes besides cancer.
3. Colonoscopy - Your gastroenterologist in Maryland can schedule a colonoscopy. This procedure is recommended for both men and women over the age of 50. During the endoscopic examination of the colon, the specialist will check for polyps, and signs of colorectal disease. Patients are generally sedated during the test, which allows the gastroenterologist to remove polyps. Samples will be sent to a lab. When the biopsy results return, your gastroenterologist in Maryland will then recommend a follow-up appointment. This can be anywhere from 6 months to several years.

Screening will detect cancer in its early stages. With the right treatment, you can make a full recovery, and lead a long and healthy life.

Advanced Endoscopy Center of Howard County, LLC. (http://www.drschub.com/) is a gastroenterologist Maryland specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive system.

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Both hemorrhoids and colon cancer can cause bleeding. Hemorrhoids can be uncomfortable but are not life-threatening. Colon cancer however can kill you. When a patient presents with complaints of rectal bleeding a diagnosis of hemorrhoids, without first performing appropriate tests to eliminate the possibility of cancer, can be fatal. Consider the allegations that were made in the following documented case.

A 37-year-old woman tells her primary care physician that she is noticing blood in her stools. The doctor sends her home with a kit for her to take samples of her school over a three-day period. She returns the material which are examined and found to reveal the presence of occult blood in the stools. Despite the fact that this woman had previously informed the doctor that her father had colon cancer the doctor, rather than ordering a colonoscopy to determine whether the source of the blood was from cancer, instead merely does an examination of the rectum. The doctor found a small hemorrhoid and concluded that that was the reason for the blood in the stools.

Over the course of the next 14 months the woman is seen by this doctor more than half a dozen times. Although the woman had no additional complaints during this time she then reported again seeing blood in her stool. Her symptoms now also included constipation and pain in her abdomen. Once again however the doctor merely examined her rectum. And of course the doctor once again found the hemorrhoid. And so once again the doctor assured her that her problems were due to the hemorrhoids.

After nine months and six more visits the woman is now complaining not only of pain but also diarrhea, cramping, and loose stool. This time the doctor did not even examine her rectum again. The doctor simply stuck to the original diagnosis and once again told her that her problems were all due to the hemorrhoid. When the woman returned two weeks later her primary care physician was not present and the doctor who was covering found no hemorrhoids but noted dark blood showing up on physical examination. This doctor referred the woman for a colonoscopy. The results of the colonoscopy and further testing revealed that she had cancer of the colon which had spread to her liver. She died within two months.

The law firm that represented her family, including her to young children, was able to report a settlement of the resulting lawsuit in the sum of $1.8 million. No doubt the had experts who would have testified that under the circumstances the standard of care required that the primary care physician order a colonoscopy as soon as the woman began to report blood in her stools and that the cancer could have been treated successfully had she been diagnosed at that point.

An analysis of this case reveals certain concerns about the way doctors think about colon cancer. There seem to be some doctors who continue to believe that people can be too young for colon cancer despite the fact that every year there are a certain number of individuals who are diagnosed with cancer of the colon at an age younger than 50. In this case the patient showed two risk factors for colon cancer. First she had symptoms consistent with colon cancer. Second she had a family history. Because certain colon cancers can have a genetic component to them individuals who have a family history of colon cancer are often screened at a younger age than the general population. Yet despite this her doctor insisted that she did not have colon cancer without ever conducting any testing. Whether this doctor did this because of her age or because of the significantly greater prevalence of hemorrhoids over cancer of the colon may never be known. The result however was the tragic death of the woman. This case will hopefully serve to educate doctors regarding the care provided to individuals under similar circumstances.

Joseph Hernandez is an Attorney accepting medical malpractice cases and wrongful death cases. You can learn more about cases involving colon cancer and other cancer matters including breast cancer by visiting the websites

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In its long history of medicinal use, ginger is known as an antiseptic and an immune system booster with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. It is used to relieve nausea, cold, flu, stomach discomfort, dizziness and joint pain. The therapeutic properties of ginger stem from its antioxidant effects and an ability to prevent the formation of inflammatory compounds, thanks to some of its bioactive phenolics, such as gingerols, paradols, shogaols, gingerones and zingerones.

Phenolic compounds are plant metabolites found in abundance throughout the plant kingdom. Their natural antioxidant properties have been linked to their protective role against against oxidative damage such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancers. Phenolic compounds are essential for the growth and reproduction of plants, and they are produced as a response for defending injured plants against pathogens.

Modern scientific research is showing support of ginger's exhibition of healing properties which could help reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Ginger Prevents Inflammation In The Colon

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in men and women. Inflammation in the colon has been implicated in previous studies as a precursor to colon cancer. In animal studies, ginger inhibits different enzymes like LOX (lipoxygenases) and COX (cyclooxygenases) which play a role in the formation of eicosanoids enzymes (example prostaglandins) known to cause inflammation in the gut.

A research recently reported on Cancer Prevention Research found that people who consumed two grams of a ginger root supplement had their level of inflammation in the colon significantly reduced.

The study authors suggest 2 grams of ginger root in supplement form (which is equivalent to around 20 grams of raw ginger root), or about 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger with a meal.

Add Fresh Ginger To Your Food

As more people are looking for natural ways and means to prevent cancer and improve the quality of their lives without depending on drugs, whole foods like ginger will continue to remain in the spotlight as its healing activities are studied.

Just as ginger is a popular ingredient in Asian dishes, you too can incorporate it daily into your cooking. Cut or grate fresh ginger and add it to your stew, fried dishes or soups. You can also marinate meat with grated ginger. If you cook rice using a rice cooker or on the stove, put in ginger (sliced or chopped) as the rice is cooking or steaming to allow the ginger aroma to penetrate. Try a cup of ginger tea too, simply by cutting a few slices infused in hot water.

To learn more about cancer preventive strategies, head over to the health journal Tips Of All Sorts. To get a headstart on a full dietary and healthy lifestyle plan, check out the Total Health Program.

Tips Of All Sorts is a health reporter's journal with notes on modern day issues that matter to everyday living.

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If you unfortunately have colon cancer or know someone that has it, then read these tips to help you get through this tough journey. We'll discuss why its important to stay positive about the situation, why you want to start eating healthy if you haven't already done so, how picking up a new hobby can help ease your mind and lastly how exercise can help you get better.

Staying positive is the first thing that should come to your mind when it comes to getting over colon cancer. Staying positive will help you get through the treatment and medications. It'll give hope to your loved ones which can make everyone feel better. And people will see you as someone to look up to, because although you are going through a tough time, you're keeping your head high.

Second, eating healthy helps you in many ways.

Eating healthy when diagnosed with colon cancer has been known to reverse the effects of cancer, which of course you want to happen. Eating healthy can help your body fight back. Also, you're loved ones can see you are not giving up hope and you are doing something about it. Who knows, you better eating habits can actually influence your loved ones to eat healthier as well!

Third, picking up a new hobby can ease your mind when going through challenging situations.

A new hobby can take your mind of the treatment, medication and get you feeling good about looking past the cancer. This can help others around you to ease their minds as well from the challenging times. A new hobby can get the family together to enjoy some quality time again!

Lastly, exercise always helps you, no matter what condition your body is in

By starting to exercise, you can help your body fight the illness by bringing up your immune system and feeling alive over all. And we all know that when we see someone trying to get in better shape, it makes others want to get in better shape as well. And wouldn't that be a good thing to do? To motivate others to be healthier will definitely help them live longer lives and event prevent them from having to go through an illness as serious like cancer in the future.

So there you have it. We talked about ways we can go through a challenging time such as having colon cancer by staying positive, eating healthier, getting a new hobby and finally exercising. Now you are armed with some great tips to help you and your loved ones look past this tough time.

And if you want to learn exercises that will help you become healthier and influence your loved ones to start exercising as well, go to Best Way To Get Abs as well as lower-ab-workouts/

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Modern lives present many of the ease and speed in fulfilling the needs of human life, have affected change in lifestyle for some people. Fast food and high fat foods that were encountered, causing some people are less interested in eating natural foods that require a long process, but these foods contain a lot of substance that are beneficial to health.

Busyness and adequate transportation facilities to support day-to-day activities, also causes some people exercise less movement or exercising so that the processes of digestion and metabolism to go slowly.

The things mentioned above are some of the many factors that contribute to colon cancer. Thus, wrong diet such as lack of fiber diet, sedentary lifestyle / exercise, exposure to carcinogenic substances, and a history of hereditary type of disease, believed to be a risk factor for colon cancer.

One way of dealing with colon cancer is surgery with removal of colon cancer in a hospital, followed by making a hole (stoma) in the abdominal wall to remove dirt. Installation of the stoma is temporary and there is no settled for a lifetime. For those who must be installed for a lifetime, most likely will affect aspects of life patient physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. In other words, it will also impact on satisfaction, happiness, and quality of life of patients.

Installation of intestinal stoma is seen as a burden of stress that can affect quality of life in many dimensions. Initially, patients feel discomfort, embarrassment, pain, anxiety, and other problems. If the ability to adapt is insufficient, patients could not rule out the possibility of despair, depression, and falls on the poor health conditions. This will reduce the survival of patients. Colostomy (a type of stoma) has a very serious negative impact on quality of life of patients. While other studies have found that the stoma affects the limitations of daily activity and social interaction.

Some people still think that cancer makes a huge life crisis. The reactions in some people with cancer vary widely, for example shock, fear, anxiety, grief, anger, sadness, and until there is a shut down.

These reactions are very human and are the parts of life that everyone must face. Feelings of anxiety in cancer patients because they fear the impact it had, such as changes in body image and death. Feelings of anxiety are not the only complaint that most felt by the patient, stress may also be felt by them.

Feelings of anxiety can occur due to excessive stress that haunts the patient. Under conditions of suffering from cancer, the patient will feel angry in response to feelings of anxiety which he considered as a threat. Excessive anxiety of death could result in disruption of the treatment process.

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Colon cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers for both men and women in the Untied States. It is important that you understand your risk for developing this disease, as well as lifestyle changes you can make now to reduce your chances of falling victim to colon cancer.

Cancer of the large intestine, or colon, typically begins as small clumps of cells called adenomatous polyps. Often, these small polyps form in your colon and produce few, if any, symptoms. If they are not removed, they may eventually become cancerous. This is why physicians recommend routine screening to identify and remove polyps before they become a problem.

One of the best ways to prevent death from colon cancer is to have regular screenings. Because more than 90% of all colorectal cancers are found in people who are 50 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends that you start getting routine colon screenings at age 50. If you have a family history of this disease, your physician may recommend that you start screening earlier.

Three of the most common screenings for colon cancer include a stool test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. Your physician will make recommendations for how often you should have these tests administered.

Aside from age, there are some other risk factors that may make you more susceptible to developing colon cancer. Some of these factors include:

RaceAfrican-Americans have a higher risk for developing this disease than people of other racesFamily historyParents, siblings, and children of a person diagnosed with colon cancer are at a higher risk than the average person of developing the disease themselves.Personal history of polyps or cancerInflammatory intestinal conditionsTwo of the most common conditions are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's diseaseHigh fat, low fiber dietObesitySedentary lifestyleDiabetesSmokingHeavy use of alcohol

While some of these risk factors, like race and age, cannot be changed, there are some lifestyle alterations that you can make to reduce your chance of developing this type of cancer. Keep in mind that just because you have one or more of these risks, it does not mean you will develop colon cancer. You should talk with your physician about these risk factors so that he or she can provide adequate screening and give you suggestions for a healthy lifestyle.

Many people exhibit few, if any, symptoms of colon cancer in the early stages of the disease. As it progresses, patients may notice unexplained weight loss, persistent abdominal discomfort, a change in their bowel habits, rectal bleeding, blood in their stool, weakness, or excessive fatigue. The only way to truly know if you have colon cancer is through screenings and tests administered by your physician.

The good news is that colorectal cancer is often highly treatable. The key to survival is identifying and removing polyps early, before they turn into cancer. Those patients, whose cancer is discovered early, before it has spread, have a very high 5-year survival rate. With more awareness about colon cancer screenings, the death rate from this disease continues to decline.

Laura Mims is a writer for FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, which specializes in oncology, cancer care, and cancer treatment in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

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KERRY'S STORY
Kerry was a 42-year old female executive who was in excellent health. She was married but had no children and had never been pregnant. She was a non-smoker with no past medical history and no family history of cancer. Specifically, Kerry had no history of sexually transmitted diseases and she was HIV negative. When she noticed blood on the toilet paper after her bowel movements, she first thought that the problem was due to hemorrhoids. However, after two weeks, the bleeding increased and was accompanied by pain and itching around the anus. She went to her primary doctor whose exam revealed a 2 x 2 inch mass at the anal sphincter. Her doctor did not feel any abnormal lymph nodes in her groin. He referred her to a colorectal surgeon who performed a colonoscopy. That examination confirmed the mass seen by her primary doctor but no other lesions. Biopsy revealed a squamous cell carcinoma, anal cancer.

After her diagnosis, Kerry's surgeon sent her for a PET/CT scan which revealed abnormality only at the anal mass. There was no distant activity to suggest metastatic (distant, incurable) spread of her cancer. Her surgeon referred her to a radiation oncologist and medical oncologist. They recommended radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy delivered together (concurrent chemoRT) which she underwent over a period of 6 weeks. Kerry was treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in order to minimize RT dose to critical organs including the small bowel and bladder, while treating potential microscopic cancer cells within the lymph nodes in her pelvis and groin and the anal tumor. She received concurrent mitomycin and fluorouracial chemotherapy by IV infusion as an outpatient. Kerry had expected side effects of treatment including severe irritation and redness of the skin in the groin and anus, but she did not require a break during IMRT. She had significant fatigue that kept her out of work during most of her chemoRT. She had some loose bowels which were well controlled after adjusting her diet. Near completion of her treatment, there was no evidence of any tumor remaining. She recovered from the side effects of treatment over about six weeks. Kerry has seen one of her cancer doctors every three to six months for the past five years and she remains cancer free!

BASICS
Although it's one of the least common cancers of the GI tract, there are still about 5000 cases of anal cancer diagnosed in the U.S. each year. There are more women than men diagnosed. The average age at diagnosis is around 60 years old, but it can occur in patients in their 30s and 40s. If the disease is localized, which is the case for 50% of patients, then the cure rate is roughly 80%.

RISKS & CAUSES
The majority of patients who are diagnosed with anal cancer don't have a clearly defined risk factor. However, factors that increase the risk of developing anal cancer are associated with the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. This virus is the same kind that causes genital warts. Certain strains of the HPV virus are associated with a high risk of developing anal cancer as well as cervical cancer and some types of throat cancer. Activities that put people at risk for HPV, like receptive anal intercourse, also put them at risk of later developing anal cancer.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Patients often present to their doctors with complaints of anal pain or bleeding. Many patients ignore or downplay the symptoms, often initially attributing them to hemorrhoids. While most people who have these symptoms don't have anal cancer, persistent pain or bleeding should always prompt medical attention. Less commonly, patients will complain of itching or a painless mass in the groin. A lump can develop in the groin as a result of anal cancer spreading to lymph nodes and causing them to enlarge.

DIAGNOSIS
The diagnosis of anal cancer is usually made by biopsy of the anal mass or area of ulceration. Generally, this procedure is performed by a medical GI specialist or surgeon. These doctors are able to directly look into the anal canal and rectum by proctoscopy (or the entire colon by colonoscopy) with special instruments after they deliver medications to minimize discomfort. Biopsies are performed during these procedures, after sedation and/or injection of numbing medicine. Most anal cancers (80%) are squamous cell carcinomas. A thorough evaluation of someone suspected of having anal cancer should also include examination of the pelvis, particularly both groins. If lymph nodes are enlarged, then they may also be biopsied. Many enlarged lymph nodes are only inflamed, with no evidence of cancer. Blood tests that may be ordered include complete blood count, tests of kidney function, and possibly HIV testing, depending on the patients' risk factors for the virus.

STAGING
The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system is used to determine if anal cancer is localized (early stage) or has spread to other sites (advanced or late stage). Early stage disease is limited to the anus, while advanced disease refers to cancers that have invaded nearby organs or lymph nodes in the pelvis or groins. Imaging studies should include CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis and a chest X-ray at minimum. Staging may also include a PET/CT scan. This imaging test allows the radiologist as well as the treating cancer specialists to see if the anal cancer has spread to involve lymph nodes in the groin or pelvis, or metastasized to other sites in the body such as the liver or lungs.

TREATMENT
The standard treatment for anal cancer doesn't involve surgery, which comes as both a surprise and a relief to many patients. Since most anal cancers invade the sphincter that controls defecation, surgery to remove such a cancer would require removal of the sphincter and creation of a colostomy. Therefore, surgery is generally avoided in favor of treatment that will keep the anal sphincter intact. An exception would be very early cancers of the anal margin, on the skin outside the anus.

Concurrent chemoRT is the standard treatment for the majority of patients with anal cancer, to obtain the best chance of cure with sphincter preservation. RT delivered over roughly 6 weeks with concurrent IV fluorouracil (5FU) and mitomycin-C (MMC) chemotherapy provides patients the best chance for cure. RT is delivered in daily fractions using either 3D conformal RT or IMRT. The latter technique may be used in order to minimize the amount of normal bowel and/or genitalia receiving full-dose RT (& therefore minimize side effects).

The main side effects that are possible during RT to the anus and pelvis include skin reaction that may be severe around the anus and creases of skin at the groins, as well as bowel irritation and diarrhea. Most patients will have these acute symptoms resolve within 1-2 months following completion of treatment. Extremely rare (<1%) but serious side effects include bowel obstruction or fistula (a hole between the anus and bladder or urethra). 5FU may also cause bowel irritation, diarrhea, irritation in the mouth or lips, poor appetite, and fatigue. Uncommonly, skin or nail discoloration or severe peeling of the hands and feet (hand foot syndrome) or other major side effects can happen. In rare cases, heart problems including heart attack can occur. MMC may cause decrease in blood counts, mouth sores, poor appetite, and fatigue. Nausea, vomiting, and urinary irritation may also occur. Rarely, life-threatening lung or kidney damage can occur.

Dr. Patrick Maguire's home reference book for the public, "When Cancer Hits Home," has received excellent reviews from cancer survivors and experts alike: http://www.amazon.com/When-Cancer-Hits-Home-Prevention/dp/0615391117.

To learn more or read Dr. Maguire's blog, visit: http://patrickmaguiremd.com/

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