As you know, early diagnosis of cancer leaves the patient a good chance of remission. But far from always the symptoms of intestinal cancer in men are expressed sufficiently to recognize the pathology in the early stages. Quite often, a malignant tumor localized in the gastrointestinal tract proceeds without any signs until it acquires an irreversible character. It is not easy to prevent oncology, but knowing about the factors that provoke the development of the pathological process, you can minimize the risks of its occurrence.
Is intestinal cancer inherited?
No matter how terrible it may sound, no one is safe from bowel cancer. In men, the cause of this disease is most often a hereditary predisposition. The genetic factor plays an almost key role in the development of the disease. If a history of at least one of the relatives in the ascending line was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, a person really has a better chance of becoming sick than the one in whose family he knows about cancer firsthand.
However, cancerous heredity is not a sentence. For the direct start of the pathological process, the influence of certain factors and the presence of a number of adverse conditions are necessary.
The most likely causes of a tumor
The likelihood of a malignant process increases with age. That is why patients older than fifty years, regardless of gender, are recommended to undergo annual preventive examinations by a proctologist and gastroenterologist.
Intestinal cancer refers to polyetiological diseases. This means that several factors can simultaneously be the cause of a tumor. Given that in the modern world it is almost impossible to completely avoid the effects of carcinogens on the body, it is advisable to distinguish separate groups of men susceptible to this disease:
- workers in the chemical industry, especially asbestos and sawmills;
- persons who do not adhere to the basics of good nutrition;
- unhealthy men;
- patients suffering from chronic diseases (precancerous).
Can intestinal cancer be due to malnutrition?
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that the chances of developing the oncological process increase at times with the influence of some nutritional features. For example, regular consumption of red meat and a deficiency of fiber and plant foods entering the body increase the risk of malignant processes in the body. The appearance of the first symptoms of bowel cancer in men is directly associated with lifestyle. Alcohol abuse, however, like smoking, is detrimental to the protective functions of the body.
Precancerous diseases as a risk factor
Also at risk for cancer are men who have chronic or untreated pathologies, accompanied by a long inflammatory process.
For the formation of a neoplasm, a course of nonspecific ulcerative colitis, proctitis and sigmoiditis may become a precancerous stage. Benign polyps in the intestines are one of the common problems in both adult men and women. Under certain conditions, they may undergo a malignancy process.
General manifestations of pathology in the initial stages
It is possible to recognize signs of intestinal cancer in the early stages only in isolated cases. Specific symptoms of the disease in the initial stages, as a rule, are absent. But there are a number of points, the appearance of which should alert any person. With the stability of the following symptoms, it is important to immediately consult a doctor and undergo an examination:
- general weakness of the body;
- instant fatigue;
- pallor of the skin, mucous membranes;
- systematic or stable subfebrile condition;
- Dizziness
- headache;
- sharp weight loss for no apparent reason;
- a change in the shape, color of feces, the appearance of impurities in it.
Other symptoms of oncology of the lower gastrointestinal tract
In a separate group of symptoms and signs of intestinal cancer in both men and women should include digestive disorders. The above symptoms to a greater extent characterize the general condition of the patient, characteristic of the development of many diseases, and not only oncological ones.
Sometimes, due to the state of completely different organs, it is possible to confirm the diagnosis of “intestinal cancer”. In men, the symptoms of the neoplasm will be associated with its germination in nearby tissues and organs (prostate gland, bladder, pelvic bones). In most cases, blood impurities in the urine and pain in the urination process indicate a late stage of the tumor.
The most obvious signs of a tumor
The probability of confirmation of cancer is highest in the case of the following changes observed in the gastrointestinal tract:
- Dyspeptic disorders. These include nausea, heartburn, belching with a bitter or sour taste, loss of appetite. Less commonly, vomiting is associated with the above symptoms of bowel cancer in men.
- Violations of bowel movements. In the presence of this symptom, most often we have to talk about the obvious progression of the disease. A neoplasm that grows in size can interfere with normal bowel movements, blocking the intestinal lumen. Stenosis as a symptom of small intestine cancer in men can occur in the early stages of the disease. If we talk about the colon, then in this case we can say that, most likely, the tumor reached inoperable sizes.
- Enterocolitic symptoms include manifestations characteristic of a tumor of one or another localization: pain on palpation, bloating and constipation, impaired formation of feces.
Clinical trials for suspected bowel cancer
Diagnosis of intestinal cancer in men is a whole complex of research procedures that can detect malignant changes in the earliest stages of the disease. So, the patient is examined in several ways:
- rectal-digital diagnostics (examination by a proctologist);
- palpation method;
- CT and MRI;
- colonoscopy;
- irrigoscopy;
- sigmoidoscopy;
- laboratory tests (blood, urine, feces, histological studies).
The first two procedures are performed during the inspection. However, only rectal cancer located near the anus can be detected by palpation. With palpation of the abdomen and an impressive tumor size, changes in the intestinal walls can also be detected. The remaining methods are referred to as invasive and non-invasive instrumental studies, which allow a comprehensive and objective study of the organ cavity.
What are the predictions for bowel cancer doctors give?
The prognosis for recovery depends on how soon the symptoms of intestinal cancer in a man showed themselves and whether the disease was diagnosed in a timely manner. The pathology is really dangerous, and when detected in the later stages, the survival rate of patients in a percentage ratio is extremely small. However, this does not mean that you should fold your arms with the symptoms of bowel cancer in men. How many patients with this diagnosis live and what is the likelihood of healing, no oncologist can unambiguously answer, since this question affects such an aspect as quality of life.
Undoubtedly, a medical prognosis for a malignant tumor of any localization cannot be given with absolute accuracy. Life expectancy in bowel cancer depends on:
- the effectiveness of the chosen treatment tactics;
- the presence of additional diseases;
- patient consent to give up bad habits;
- eliminate stressful situations and unrest.
In a predominant number of cases, a resection of a part of the intestine helps a cancer patient achieve a high level of quality of life. This operation for bowel cancer is necessary for excision of the organ with subsequent colostomy.
How many live with this disease?
If they were to consider the patient's chances for correction based on the detected stage of the disease, then the doctors predict the patients' capabilities for five-year survival as follows:
- In the first stage, when the cells of the malignant tumor did not have time to spread, approximately 9 out of 10 patients defeat bowel cancer .
- In the second stage, when the neoplasm grows into the intestinal wall, an average of 7 out of ten people achieve stable remission.
- The defeat of the nearest lymph nodes and metastasis, characteristic of the third stage of cancer, reduces the patient's chances of recovery - in only half of the clinical cases, patients manage to cope with cancer at this stage.
- The fourth stage leaves little hope of cure - only three out of ten men overcome the disease.
When is cancer surgery impossible?
Modern methods of treating intestinal cancer help to stop the progression of the tumor, and in some cases to rid the patient of the pathology forever. The choice of therapy largely depends on the location of the neoplasm. So, the treatment of colorectal cancer is based on a surgical approach. The tumor and surrounding tissues are removed. But to prolong the life of cancer patients, combined treatment helps.
The choice of intervention technique lies on the shoulders of the attending physician. The final decision on the surgical removal of the tumor, as a rule, is made by a consultation of specialists. But far from always the symptoms of colon cancer in men are an indication for surgery. Inoperable are most often recognized as patients whose tumor affects one or more nearby organs. Thus, the complete removal of the neoplasm in some cases does not guarantee the preservation of life to the patient.
The role of chemotherapy in oncology of the colon and small intestine
Chemotherapy for bowel cancer in men in most cases is an adjunct measure, as is radiation therapy. Patients operated on in the late stages of tumor development, in half of cases overcame the threshold of three-year survival, a third of patients - five-year. To date, chemotherapy in the fight against bowel cancer is rarely used as an independent direction of treatment.
The main limiting condition is the resistance of tumor cells to cytostatics. However, the systematic use of chemotherapy before and after surgery allows you to consolidate the result of exposure to cancer cells. In some cases, cytostatics are administered to the patient directly into a blood vessel that feeds the tumor and metastases. The universal and most common cancer drug is 5-Fluorouracil. In addition to it, other cytostatic complexes can be used:
- "Capecitabine";
- Oxaliplastine;
- Irinotecan.
Immunomodulators that stimulate the patient's humoral and cellular immunity are capable of enhancing the effect of chemotherapy.
What are some methods for surgical treatment of bowel cancer?
A radical method of healing cancer involves the use of various surgical techniques. To remove an intestinal tumor, it is most often used:
- conservative methods for resection of the affected area of the small or large intestine, blood vessels, nourishing and surrounding it;
- removal of a fragment of the intestine through a small incision in the abdominal wall;
- elimination of the neoplasm together with a complex of lymph nodes and metastases (use of a high-frequency surgical knife).
Any oncological disease is insidious and unpredictable. At the first signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, you should immediately contact a specialist. It is important to understand: in the early stages, healing is almost guaranteed, in the later stages it is unlikely.