Colorectal Cancer

Drugs
Bevacizumab Capecitabine Cetuximab Fentanyl Irinotecan Oxaliplatin

Treatments
Surgery Resection Colonectomy Wide Mesenteric Lymphadenectomy Primary Resection and Anastamosis Decompression Decompression via Colorectal Tube Decompression Via Gastrostomy Hartman Procedure Colectomy Medical Procedure Radiation Treatment Immunotherapy Chemotherapy Palliative Therapy Vitamins Selenium Supplementation Weakly in Favour Moderate Evidence Vitamin C No Recommendation Low Evidence Vitamin D3 Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Minerals Selenium Supplementation Weakly in Favour Moderate Evidence Alternative Medicine Ayurvedic Medicine (Ayurveda) No Recommendation Very Low Evidence Tumeric (Curcuma longa) Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Venus Flytrap Extract (Carnivora, Dionaea Muscipula) Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Psyllium (Isphagula, Plantago Psyllium) No Recommendation Moderate Evidence Lifestyle Changes Regular Exercise (30 Minutes A Day) Weakly in Favour Moderate Evidence Medical Therapy Chemotherapy Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Immunotherapy Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Palliative Therapy Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Radiation Treatment Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Colectomy Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Colonectomy Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Decompression Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Decompression via Colorectal Tube Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Decompression Via Gastrostomy Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Hartman Procedure Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Primary Resection and Anastamosis Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Resection Weakly in Favour Low Evidence Wide Mesenteric Lymphadenectomy Weakly in Favour Low Evidence

Attributes
Commonality is common Incidence is approximately 1 in 1,721 people

Further Tests
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration Alpha-1 Antintrypsin (AAT) (Increased) Antithrombin 111 (AT-111) Activity Test Antithrombin 111 (AT-111) (Decreased) Blood Uric Acid Concentration Test Uric Acid, Blood (Increased) Cerebrospinal Fluid Glucose Concentration Glucose (Cerebrospinal Fluid) (Decreased) Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Concentration Cerebrospinal Fluid Total Protein (Increased) Cerebrospinal Fluid White Cell Differential Cerebrospinal Fluid Leukocytes (Increased) Cerebrospinal Fluid Neutrophil Differential (Increased) D-Dimer Blood Test D-Dimer (Increased) Eosinophils Count Eosinophils (Increased) Fecal Occult Blood Test Fecal Blood (Increased) Fibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products, FSPs, Fibrin Breakdown Products, Fbps) Fibrin Split Products (Increased) Fibrin Monomers Test Fibrin Monomers (Increased) Fibrinopeptide A (FPA) Action Assay Fibrinopeptide A (FPA) (Increased) Folic Acid (Folate) Concentration Folic Acid (Folate) (Decreased) haptoglobin (Hp) concentration haptoglobin (Hp) (Increased) Iron Concentration Iron (Decreased) Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Concentration Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) (Decreased) Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) Weight Test Hemoglobin (Hb) (Decreased) Neutrophil Absolute Count Segmented Neutrophils (Increased) Platelet Count Platelets (Increased) Potassium Concentration (K, Blood) Potassium (K, Blood) (Decreased) Protein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein) Gamma Globulin (Blood, Serum) (Increased) Reticulocyte Absolute Count Reticulocytes (Decreased) Thyroid Stimulating Horomone (TSH) Concentration Thyroid Stimulating Horomone (TSH) (Increased) Thyroxine (Total T4) Concentration Thyroxine (Total T4) (Decreased) Thyroxine (Total T4) (Decreased) Triiodothyronine (Free T3) Concentration Triiodothyronine (Free T3) (Decreased) Triiodothyronine (Total T3) Concentration Triiodothyronine (Total T3) (Increased) Triiodothyronine (Total T3) (Increased) Triiodothyronine Uptake Test Triiodothyronine Uptake Percentage (Increased) Vitamin B12 (VB12) Concentration Vitamin B12 (VB12) (Decreased) White Blood Cell (WBC) Count White Blood Cell (WBC) (Increased)

Colorectal Cancer

The colon is a tube-shaped organ approximately 4 feet in length that performs essential functions such as food digestion, nutrient absorption and concentration and storage of fecal material. Rectum is the last part of the colon. When the cells in the colon multiply abnormally and uncontrollably, the condition is called colon cancer or colorectal cancer if the rectum is involved. ^[1]

Causes

Most colorectal cancers arise from polyps. Risk factors include being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease and positive family history of colon cancer. Those who have or had breast, ovarian or uterine cancer also have increased likelihood to develop colorectal cancer. Some factors implicated in the causation of the disease are obesity, smoking, high fat diet and intake of drugs like estrogen replacement therapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. ^{[2] [3]}

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms of colorectal cancer include bowel habit changes, blood in the stool, unexplainable weight loss, fatigue, appetite loss, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea and vomiting. The bleeding may be occult or hidden and may manifest as iron deficiency anemia thus the person may feel tired frequently and may have pale skin. Aside from bright red blood in the stool, the patient may also notice the stools to appear as ribbon-like and with small caliber. He may also feel that the evacuation is incomplete. ^[3][4]

Diagnosis

After carefully taking the patient’s medical history and performing a thorough physical examination, the patient is subjected to laboratory exams. Blood tests are often requested including complete blood count and organ function tests. Colonoscopy is usually done which entails visual inspection of the colon through a tube that has a camera at the end. Another test called flexible sigmoidoscopy may be employed depending on the area that needs to be seen. Other tests include barium enema, chest X-ray and CT scan. ^[3]

Treatment

Colorectal cancer needs to be staged in order to determine the appropriate treatment. Surgery is recommended for early stages. When there is spread, other mode of treatment like chemotherapy is advised. Radiation therapy is used for cancers that involve the rectum only.^[3]The outlook depends on the extent of the disease. Support from the family and loved ones are highly needed by patients.

References:

1. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000678.htm

2. http://www.medicinenet.com/colon_cancer/article.htm

3. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/colon_cancer/page2_em.htm#colon_cancer_causes

http://coloncancer.about.com/od/coloncancerbasics/a/Symptoms-Of-Colon-Cancer.htm

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Vitamin E [1, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help in preventing some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Please note, this acts as a PREVENTATIVE treatment, and not necessarily symptomatic relief. This vitamin can have harmful effects if taken in doses higher than 100% of the recommended daily allowance.

Recommendation: Weakly in favor (Some trials have shown that vitamin E may help lower the risk of developing prostate cancer. However, more research is needed.)