Each year, 150,000 people are diagnosed with rectal cancer. Talking about the bowels can be confusing, as there are different names for the same body part; for instance the colon and the large intestine. What is the difference between a rectum and an anus? As food passes through the body, it moves from mouth to esophagus, down to the stomach, into the small intestine, into the large intestine (ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon), into the rectum and out through the anus. Cancer of the rectum affects that last six inches of the colon before food is expelled. Like early colon cancer symptoms, early cancer symptoms of the rectum are also highly curable if detected before the disease worsens.
The actual cause of cancer of the rectum has not been pinpointed, but certain risk factors have been clearly identified. Age is one, as 90% of colorectal cancer diagnoses come after age 50. According to the American Cancer Society, smokers are six times’ more likely to develop colorectal cancer than nonsmokers. Family history also plays a role, for as many as 1 in 5 people with this type of cancer have family members who also were diagnosed with it. Inherited syndromes is at 5%, with inherited syndromes like familial adenomatus polyposis or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, and obese individuals are four times’ more likely to develop cancer of the rectum, says the American College of Gastroenterology. Perhaps the biggest risk of metastatic colon cancer is the lack of early screening.
The reason why people need to undergo a colonoscopy procedure and engage in early rectal cancer screening is that the symptoms are often overlooked. Often patients report dark, tarry stools with streaks of bright red blood. These stools are usually runny, narrow as a pencil and feel as though they can’t be fully excreted. Frequent bloating, abdominal pain, fullness, cramps and belly distension are other common symptoms. Unexplained weight loss, fatigue and even vomiting may occur in later stages, forcing people to seek colon cancer treatment.
During Stage 0 cancer, colon polyps can be removed during a routine colonoscopy procedure. If Stage I rectal cancer is diagnosed, surgery is the most viable option. If the tumors are small, they can be removed through the anus without an abdominal incision. If the tumors are larger and/or Stage II is reached, then a low anterior resection, an abdominoperineal resection or a colo-anal anastomosis may need to be done. The affected portion of the colon is removed and the healthy portions can be reattached. During late Stage II or Stage III, doctors will often prescribe chemotherapy or radiation therapy to eradicate migrating cells and reduce the chance of recurring cancer. The use of chemo and RT reduce deaths by about 30%.
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