In Hacienda Heights, California, Elsie Garcia a 67 year old female patient would evade the colonoscopy screening for four years which would screen for colon cancer is alive and healthy today due to a new test called FIT (fecal immunochemical test) which is less invasive than the American Cancer Society “Gold Standard “colonoscopy. She would schedule appointments for the procedure but would cancel in fear of the risk related to having colonoscopies. A Colonoscopy is considered the best way of screening for potential cancerous polyps is considered generally safe but the risk of colon perforation during the procedure is 1 in 1000 cases which would lead to serious complications. Garcia agreed to the FIT screening in which her doctors found blood in her stool. They scheduled Garcia for a follow up colonoscopy which four early cancerous polyps that were removed. Garcia was grateful for the FIT screening and is alive and health today (Szabo, 2014).
Anatomy
Colorectal Cancer is the third leading cancer in men and women and is considered the leading cause of cancer causing death. In the text Physiology 5th edition, the statistics show that the annual incidence of colon and rectal cancer in the United States is estimated to be 148,810 with a mortality rate of 49,960 (Copestead-Kirkhorn, 2013). The colon is a tube shaped organ in which its primary function is water absorption. It is approximately five feet in length starting from the right side of the abdomen and stretches across to the left side of abdomen appearing to like an upside down “U” shape. The colon is identified as the right colon, transverse colon, the descending colon, sigmoid colon and the rectum. The blood supply to the colon comes from the aorta which branch out into the mesenteric vessels. In the fat of the mesentery house the lymph nodes which aid in immunity and play an important role in cancer of the colon. There colon has four layers; the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis and serosa which are important in diagnosis and staging of cancer. It is within the mucosa that abnormal tissue growth such as polyps occurs (Bub-Rose-Wong, 2008).
Cancer is a condition in which some cells do not follow their cell cycle rules. Every cell in the body has a specific function, the normal cell has growth cycles which are regulated and have a limited life span. The normal functioning cell stay within the boundaries of is organ or tissue of which it belongs to.
In this experiment, both BALB/c and C3H mice are induced with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulphate (DSS). The inflammation is caused by the administration of dextran sodium sulphate to the drinking water of the mice. While azoxymethane induction plays a role in the development to colon cancer. In this project, the development of colon cancer through the inflammation pathway is being researched. The process first starts with the of inflammation foci. Over time, it develops into hyperplasia due to the increasing capacity of cell proliferation.
...ozzi E, Biffoni M, Todaro M, Peschle C, et al. Identification and expansion of human colon-cancer-initiating cells. Nature. 2007;445(7123):111-5.
Colorectal cancer, or CRC, affects African American men and women more than Caucasians, at a rate 20% higher. This is concerning when faced with the mortality rates among African Americans, 28% higher for women and 14% higher for men than for Whites. African Americans are also more likely to be in later stages of the disease when diagnosed. There is a need to study and evaluate why these factors exist, as proper screening and early diagnosis can severely impact survival rates for CRC. One study attempts to find the solution through testing, however, this study slightly discredits itself along the way.
..., while a cell undergoes cell cycle, when a cell comes in contact with another cell, it stops reproducing. However, cancer cells continue to duplicate repeatedly until there is a mass of cells or a tumor to form (see figure 9). Lastly, in cell division when there is a mutation or abnormality in the DNA, a normal cell stops dividing. However, a cancerous cell will continue to duplicate and form mutations (“Cell Biology and Cancer”). Also, cancer cells are harmful because they grow and duplicate with complete disregard to the functions and limitations of the body (see figure 10). Also, cancerous cells have the ability to spread through metastasis throughout parts of the body through the bloodstream. In terms of similar behavior to that of normal cells, cancerous cells also duplicate, but at a very different rate ("Cancer Cells vs. Normal Cells: What's Different?").
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in men and women, responsible for more than 57,000 deaths in 2001 alone. Colon polyps, which can lead to colon cancer, are found in about 30-40% of people aged 60 or older- and the risks of polyps increase with age” (Lerche Davis, 2003). Most cases of colon cancer start as small adenomatous polyps. Many people experience no signs or symptoms in the early stages of colon cancer. Some signs and symptoms can include diarrhea, constipation, or any change in consistency of your stool that continues for longer than a month. Any bleeding from the rectum or blood found in the stool can also be a sign of colon cancer. Continuing abdominal pain, cramps, gas, weakness, fatigue and unexplained weight loss could all be signs of rectal cancer in the patient (Staff,
Cancer is the term used to describe a group of diseases consisting of hundreds of ailments and although there exists so many different types of cancer, they all begin in a similar way. The body is made up of over a trillion cells, and cancer is the uncontrolled growth of malfunctioning cells in the body (Dawson, 1996). “Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries” (American Cancer Society, 2012).
Through time, most renowned practitioners of alternative medicine have claimed that an unclean colon is the most dominant cause of all kinds of diseases. Without regular and proper bowl movements, the waste material that is supposed to be driven out of the body remains inside. They in turn produce toxins which are slowly absorbed by other parts of the body including the organs. This in no way can be something good for the body. In fact the toxic waste can
Colon cancer develops in the part of the gastrointestinal tract that absorbs water and minerals before waste products are disposed via the rectum. In women endometrial cancer is related to colon cancer. This type of cancer is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States. Over one-hundred fifty thousand individuals will be diagnosed this year and this cancer will probably be responsible for about 47,900 deaths in 1999 (http://www.cancer.org). Most colon cancers are adenocarcinomas that develop from the glandular cells. Ninety percent of all colon cancer cases will develop in individuals after 50 years of age. Ninety percent of all tumors arise from polyps that are commonly found in people older than 50. Prevention includes regular exercise and a diet high in fiber. The most important risk factor is age. Medical screening includes a yearly blood occult test after age 50 and a colonoscopy every 3 years after age 50. Regular screening detects polyps that have become precancerous. If regular screening is not done, the cancer is not detected until blood is found in the...
http://kidshealth.org/kid/cancer_center/HTBW/digestive_system.html ( I didnt copy direct quotes, however I had used the idea of the beginning in my research on the digestive system to help the reader better understand the system)
Annette could not take that as a final answer and told her that she would not just leave it and should get a second opinion and have another test run. The patient went back and requested a more thorough test be completed, she got the results back and everything was clear and her primary care physician assured her she was fine. Initially she would perform the exams as learned in school, but now after finding something abnormal, she now does a more thorough check, especially on patients with a previous history of cancer. This incident solidified her belief in early detection and proper documentation.
Colorectal cancers are thought to develop slowly over a period of several years. Before a true cancer develops, there usually are precancerous changes in the lining of the colon or rectum. These changes might be dysplasia or adenomatous polyps. A polyp is a growth of tissue into the center of the colon or rectum. Some types of polyps (hyperplastic polyps and inflammatory polyps) are not precancerous. However, having adenomatous polyps, also known as adenomas, does increase a person’s risk of developing cancer, especially if there are many polyps or they are large.
A research program from among those funded by the American Cancer Society. One of the programs funded by ACS is the Colon Cancer ( Color ectal Cancer Program). American Cancer Society in collaboration with the National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have extensively identified areas of collaboration in dealing with colon and rectal cancer. The areas identified are: Epidemiology , surveillance, environmental approaches of health care systems characteristics and community progress link to clinical services. All these areas work in joint with public health, Federal agencies , community agencies and church organizations in providing material support in form education and information, support groups, referrals and Spiritual support. Since 1999 the screen for life National Colorectal Cancer action organization was formed to raise awareness and increase men/ women 50 years and older who are at risk. For more than 70 years, Colon and Rectal Cancer research has been helping find answers to critical questions about colon and rectal cancer, causes, prevention and detection and questions on how to improve the patients' quality of life. American Cancer Society has been providing grants for the research on colon cancer to individual researchers, universities and hospitals that are actively involved in this research. Some of the work on progress are the Toolkit which is available for screening, colonoscopy procedures to check for polyps every 10 years, barium enema and cat scan every 5 years, creating a centralized scheduling systems for people over 50 years for screening and also providing diversified yellowish alertness (ACS) that lets the providers aware of the details for the screening. Other measures being taken are research and training, exploring why obesity increases the risk, awareness related to changes the way the body metabolizes iron which in turn leads to
Trevena L. (2009) Cancer screening Reprinted from Australian Family Physician: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, New South Wales. Vol. 38, No. 4
Cancer is a disease that affects human somatic cells. It causes the cells to divide uncontrollably and form masses known as tumors. There are two different types of cancer tumors. Some tumors are benign and other tumors are malignant. Benign tumors look similar to the tissues that they came from and develop slowly. The tumor remains in the same area that the tumor originated in. Malignant tumors are formed from cells that do not resemble the tissue that they came from. They vary in shape and size. This enables pieces of the tumor to break off and spread to other places in the body. Over the past few decades cancer has become a very prominent disease. There are many different types of cancer and many different causes for the the disease. Most cancers are because of a genetic mutation. The most common type occur when a cell is dividing. Proto-oncogenes, which are alleles in a normal cells, mutate to form oncogenes. These oncogenes cause cancer because they do not allow the cells to self destruct or become epistatic. There have been several research projects which have been testing epistatis.
My grandfather on my mum’s side died of colon cancer, colon cancer is where the body extracts water and salt from solid wastes. Colon cancer happens when out of control cell growth occurs in the large intestine. Colon cancer can be caused through genetics; a genetic predisposition that can be inherited from family members, but most colon cancer occur in people without a family health history.