Colorectal
Suffering from colorectal cancer?
By Jarrett Kruse
Colorectal or colorectal cancer is cancer that develops in the colon or the rectum. These cancers can also be referred to separately as colon cancer or rectal cancer depending on where they start. The colon and rectum are parts of the digestive system which is also called the gastrointestinal system. The first part of the digestive system processes food for energy while the last part (the colon and rectum) absorbs fluid to form solid waste (feces or stool) that then passes from the body. To fully understand colorectal cancer, it is important to know something about the normal structure of the digestive tract and its normal function.
 |  |  |
After food is chewed and swallowed, it travels through the esophagus to the stomach. There it is partly broken down and then sent to the small intestine also known as the small bowel. At about 20 feet, the small intestine is the longest segment of the digestive system. The small intestine continues breaking down the food and absorbs most of the nutrients. The small bowel joins the colon in the right lower abdomen as well as the colon or large intestine. The colon absorbs water and salt from the food matter and serves as a storage place for waste matter. The waste matter that is left over after going through the colon is known as feces or stool that goes into the rectum.
Colorectal cancer treatment includes surgery chemotherapy, or radiation. The method used depends on the site of the cancer and the degree to which it has spread. For cancers localized to the colon or rectum, surgery is usually all that is required. For early-stage colon cancer, a colonoscope may be used to remove the cancerous tissue. Other early cancers require a surgical incision, whereby the portion of the colon containing the cancerous tissue is removed along with surrounding tissue and nearby lymph nodes and the remainder of the colon is repaired.
In most people, colorectal cancers develop slowly over a period of several years. Before a cancer develops, a growth of tissue or tumor usually begins as a non-cancerous polyp on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. An irregular tumor is abnormal tissue and can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).
