Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer, or colon cancer, is cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. The colon and rectum are part of the gastrointestinal system, which is responsible for digesting food and passing waste from the body. If left unchecked, colorectal cancer can grow through some or all of the layers of colon or rectal walls, which is an important indicator of the extent to which the cancer has spread.

Some people with colorectal cancer have no symptoms, while others do. Talk to your doctor if you experience a change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, stomach pain and cramping, fatigue and weakness, decreased appetite and weight loss, jaundice, or enlarged abdomen or feeling of discomfort in the pelvic area.

When colon cancer is caught in its early stages, surgery is the most effective treatment and usually provides a cure. When patients are diagnosed in more advanced stages of the disease, they will require chemotherapy in addition to surgery. Although the treatment is more complex in these stages, cures are still possible.