Colon cancer is a dangerous disease characterized by the presence of a malignant tumor and difficult to treat. Among other oncological diseases, this disease is far from the last in the frequency of occurrence. Depending on in which section of the colon the neoplasm is localized, the disease is divided into several types. Among them, cancer of the sigmoid colon.
What is the sigmoid colon
The term "sigmoid colon" in medicine is understood to be the section of the colon, which smoothly passes into the rectum. Due to the peculiarities of its location in the human body, this section of the large intestine is very similar to the letter S, which is under a slight slope.
The sigmoid colon is firmly fixed to other parts of the intestine with the help of a large peritoneum. Its main task is the formation of feces. In the body of a healthy person, this process occurs constantly, and substances that enhance peristalsis contribute to this.
Features of Sigmoid Cancer
This type of oncology is one of the most complex and dangerous, and it is not without reason that it is often called the “silent killer”. This name can be explained by the features of the course of the disease. The thick layer of the peritoneum blocks the appearance of pain (symptoms indicating pathology in the body). Because of this, cancer is detected too late, when the chance of recovery is already quite small. In addition, tumors here develop extremely slowly (this is facilitated by a special circulatory system in the large intestine).
Among patients there are people of different ages, but most often this diagnosis is made to those who have already reached the age of 40. As for the gender of cancer patients, among them there are approximately equal numbers of men and women.
Causes of the disease
Despite numerous studies in this area, the exact reasons for the development of colon oncology are not known to science, however, there are a number of factors that, according to doctors, increase the risk of the disease. In the list of the most probable:
- genetic predisposition to intestinal oncology (the presence of cancer in close relatives indicates the possible development of cancer of the sigmoid colon in a particular person);
- the chronic course of some diseases affecting the large intestine (this is diverticulosis, colitis, Crohn's disease);
- polyps;
- age-related changes in the tissues lining the intestinal wall;
- improper diet, the predominance of fried, fatty, smoked foods, abuse of junk food;
- low activity (this is expressed by sedentary work, lack of physical activity on the body);
- bad habits (traditionally, this category includes frequent use of alcohol, tobacco, other products with a high content of carcinogens);
- complications arising after surgery on the abdominal organs.
How do these factors affect the colon? The fact is that stagnation of feces in the colon caused by malnutrition and habits provokes stretching of its walls and the growth of the epithelium. Emerging neoplasms often develop into malignant.
Types of Cancer
Depending on the tissue in which the tumor develops, sigmoid colon cancer is divided into several types.
Adenocarcinoma. This type is considered the most common, it includes about 80% of cases of bowel cancer. In this case, malignant cells develop in the glandular layer of the epithelium.
Mucous adenocarcinoma. Initially, tumor cells are located in the mucous layer. In this case, doctors do not give the most favorable prognosis.
Cricoid Cell Carcinoma. The most rare cases (only 3-4% of all cases of intestinal oncology), the prognosis for cancer of the sigmoid colon in this case is not very favorable.
Symptoms
The main danger of this disease is that at first the symptoms are completely absent. The tumor grows quite slowly, so many cancer patients may not suspect the presence of sigmoid colon cancer for several years.
However, even in the case of early symptoms, only a small percentage of cancer patients go to the clinic for examination. This behavior is explained by the fact that a malignant tumor effectively disguises itself as other less dangerous diseases. Among the common symptoms of sigmoid colon cancer, patients report:
- the appearance of pain in the abdomen;
- stool disorders (constipation or, on the contrary, loose stools may appear);
- decreased or complete lack of appetite;
- a sharp change in taste preferences;
- weight loss for no particular reason;
- a change in the general condition of a person, which is expressed by increased fatigue, weakness, apathy.
All of these symptoms can suddenly appear and also suddenly disappear, so a person often associates this condition with poisoning, stress, and other phenomena that do not require serious treatment.
With the further development of sigmoid colon cancer, the symptoms also change. At this stage, characteristic symptoms appear:
- persistent abdominal pain;
- the appearance of an impurity of blood in the feces;
- signs of chronic intoxication (digestive disorders, yellowish or earthy color of the skin, constant fatigue, allergic reactions);
- intestinal obstruction;
- heavy bleeding;
- multiple abscesses.
Stages of the disease
Like all oncological diseases, a sigmoid colon tumor is conventionally divided into 4 stages:
- Stage 1 is characterized by the presence of a small (only a few millimeters) neoplasm. It is extremely difficult to identify the disease at this stage. All symptoms are completely absent.
- 2 stage. Tumor growth is noted, malignant cells grow into the deep layers of the intestinal wall. The only thing that can alert a person is frequent constipation.
- 3 stage. The growth of the tumor leads to its spread to neighboring organs or nearby lymph nodes. This indicates the appearance of metastases in cancer of the sigmoid colon. Of the symptoms there is a violation of the digestive process, pain.
- 4 stage. This stage is characterized by the appearance of metastases (most often the liver is affected), large tumor sizes and pronounced symptoms.
Diagnosis of bowel cancer
Diagnosis of sigmoid colon cancer is crucial for making an accurate diagnosis and prescribing a course of therapy. The whole process is divided into several stages.
Collection of disease data. This stage begins with an initial examination. The doctor examines the patient, collects data on symptoms, previous illnesses, the general condition of the patient and his habits. Palpation is performed for a “hard” abdomen.
Blood and urine tests. The increased content of certain substances in the composition indicates a malfunction in the body.
Colonoscopy During this procedure, an examination of the large intestine is carried out using an endoscope (a thin flexible tube equipped with a mini camera). Thanks to this study, doctors are able to obtain data on the condition of the large intestine and the presence (or absence) of a neoplasm.
Irrigoscopy is a procedure that is an X-ray examination using contrast.
MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging). During the examination, data such as the location of the tumor, its size, the presence or absence of metastases are established.
Biopsy. This procedure involves the study of cells taken from tumor tissue. This allows you to identify the nature of the neoplasm (benign tumor or malignant). Most often, samples are taken during a colonoscopy.
Sigmoid Cancer Treatment
There are several treatments for cancer of the colon. The doctor makes a choice in favor of this or that method on the basis of data obtained during the diagnosis. Quite often, complex treatment is used.
Surgery. This method of treatment involves an operation during which the affected area of tissue is removed. This approach is considered the most effective, especially in cases where the tumor has not yet metastasized. However, even with their presence, surgical intervention is not excluded, it is only supplemented with other methods of therapy.
Radiation therapy. Such treatment is characterized by exposure to ionizing radiation. Its action is based on the destructive effect on tumor cells, as a result of which they lose the ability to further development and growth. For sigmoid colon cancer, this kind of treatment is used only as an adjunct to surgery. However, it can be prescribed before or after removal of cancer of the sigmoid colon.
Chemotherapy. This treatment option involves the use of strong chemicals that can destroy cancer cells. Such drugs are delivered to the body intravenously (via a dropper), while they are prescribed in courses. The duration and number of courses in each case are selected individually depending on the stage of oncology, the presence of metastases and the age of the patient.
Treatment prognosis
In general, doctors talk about a moderately favorable prognosis. With cancer of the sigmoid colon after surgery, the prognosis gives the following indicators:
- with a tumor that has not spread beyond the mucous tissue, the survival of patients over the next 5 years is 98-100%;
- in the presence of metastases in the near and distant organs, the survival rate in the next 5 years is reduced to 40%.
In other words, despite all the danger posed by cancer of the sigmoid gland, modern medicine is able to save a person from the disease or significantly extend life. To achieve this goal, not only effective comprehensive treatment is required, but also timely diagnosis. In order to recognize oncology in time, you should regularly undergo a medical examination.