Pathophysiology Of Colon Cancer

Are you interested to know more about the pathophysiology of colon cancer? Yes, you are right. We cannot avoid that knowledge is an important key in our life. It will lead us along the way, so we can choose the right path in everything we do. An important knowledge we should learn is about the health of our body, including any kind of changes happened in our body. This is what is called as pathophysiology. Based on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, pathophysiology is the physiology of abnormal states; specifically: the functional changes that accompany a particular syndrome or disease. In other words, it is a study of functional changes in the body which occur as the response to disease or injury. If we divide it, we will find pathology and physiology. Pathology is a study of disease and its impact to body. Physiology is a study of the body and its functions. From the definitions above, we can conclude that pathophysiology deals with the origin, causes, sign and symptoms of a disease attacking our body.

Now, we are going to discuss about pathophysiology of colon cancer. Hopefully, this glance information will give huge benefits for us. First, we have to know about the physiology of the colon. Colon is long tube beginning in the right lower abdomen, ascending on the right side of the abdomen, traversing from right to left in the upper abdomen, descending vertically down the left side, taking an S-shaped curve in the lower left abdomen, and flowing into the rectum. It consists of five layers. Those are mucosa (inner lining), muscularis mucosa (thin muscle layer), submucosa (fibrous tissue beneath the muscle layer), muscularis propia (thick muscle layer), and serosa (thin outermost layer of connective tissue). The function of colon is as a place where the absorption of nutrients, minerals and water occur. Its function will be interrupted for the presence of a tumor which is malignant or cancerous in the colon. it consists of a group of masses of tissue which abnormally develop.

Dealing about the pathophysiology of colon cancer, you should know about the spread of the cancer which is presented in its staging. The staging of colon cancer is based on how far the cancer has spread. At first, the cancer only affects the inner lining of the colon. Slowly but sure it will spread to the outer layers. If it is not stopped by any treatment, cancer will go out of the colon and affect the lymph nodes which are nearby the colon. In the advanced situation, the cancer can reach the distant organ. The organs which commonly become the target of cancer are liver and lungs. This is what is known as metastasized cancer. There is a standardized staging of colon cancer. In the first stage, the cancer only affects the inner line of the colon. It is the most curable overall the stage of colon cancer. The survival rate of the patients in this stage is up to 95%. In the stage 2 colon cancer, the cancer has reached the outside of the colon to the tissue surrounding the colon, but it has not spread to lymph nodes. The survival rate of this stage in a 5-year period of time is about 60%. The next one is stage three colon cancer. In this stage the cancer has spread outside the colon and on to the lymph nodes in the area surrounding the colon. The research shows that the survival rate of stage three colon cancer in a 5-year period of time is about 35% to 60%. The last one is stage four colon cancer. It is the advanced colon cancer in which the cancer does not only attack the colon, but also the other organs surrounding it. It is what is called as metastasized cancer. The percentage of the patients surviving in the 5-year period of time is about 8%-15%.

In discussing about pathophysiology of colon cancer, we should also include the colon cancer risk. This disease has a very tight correlation with the way we live our life, especially the dietary stuff. We have to pay much attention to the foods we eat, because pathophysiology of colon cancer shows that the wrong eating pattern will bring us to the high risk of colon cancer. In order to prevent colon cancer we have to take foods containing high fiber, calcium which is colonotoxic, selenium which neutralizes toxics, folate which repairs DNA, and carotenoid which neutralizes free radical. Avoid consuming too much red meat because it contains carcinogens triggering cancer. It is good for you take a lot of water, fruits and vegetables which are rich of fiber and anticarcinogenics substances. In pathophysiology of colon cancer, it is also highly recommended to do regular exercise. It will keep your body fit and maintain your immunity. The two things that must be pulled aside are cigarettes and alcohol. The tobacco within cigarette contains of carcinogens, meanwhile the alcohol may promote cell proliferation and inhibit DNA repair.

Our body will kindly send warning signs and symptoms if we are attacked by a disease. It is also being discussed in pathophysiology of colon cancer. What are the symptoms of colon cancer? There are many symptoms, including change of bowel habit, rectal bleeding, narrowing of stool, abdominal discomfort, constipation, diarrhea, anemia, and sudden weight loss.  There are other symptoms which are less commonly happen, such as nausea and vomiting, malaise, anorexia. However, all those signs and symptoms means nothing if we do not aware about it. So, having known about the pathophysiology of colon cancer, hopefully we are getting more aware of any changes happening to our body.

This is not that all, there is one more thing about colon cancer you can obtain by learning pathophysiology of colon cancer. It is about the treatments for curing colon cancer patients. There are three basic treatment procedures which are commonly conducted. Those are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The surgery is done for removing the cancer attacking colon. The chemotherapy and radiotherapy will complete what has been done by surgery. Those two procedures will clean up the small area of cancer which cannot be reached through surgery.

Maybe it has not cover all about pathophysiology of colon cancer, but at least, you get little knowledge about it. Hopefully, it will bring us to a better life.