Colorectal cancer is also known as colon cancer. This cancer starts in the large intestine or the rectum. It causes many deaths worldwide. Regular screenings and removing abnormal growths in the colon or rectum can help you live longer, especially when you receive proper treatment.
Lifestyle Changes Required
Aside from screening and removing growths before they turn cancerous, lifestyle changes play a crucial role in preventing and managing colon cancer. Here’s what you can do.
Implement Dietary Changes
Excess weight and body fat, particularly in the midsection, increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Therefore, it’s important to keep a healthy weight to reduce your risk and improve your overall well-being.
You must eat a nutritious and balanced diet. The right nutrition can help repair cells and tissues, boost your immune system, support your recovery, and boost your energy levels. Consume fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Choose foods that are rich in protein, fiber, and antioxidants, and avoid processed foods. Moderate your red meat consumption.
As for alcohol, drink alcohol moderately, or better yet, don’t drink it at all. It increases your risk of colon cancer. Alcoholic drinks also cause dehydration, irritate the gut, and weaken your immune system.
To prevent dehydration, you need to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water. You need to keep yourself hydrated, especially if you’re undergoing any type of cancer treatment.
Exercise Five Times A Week
Exercise reduces your risk of colon cancer and boosts colon cancer survival. When you are physically active, it’s easier to maintain a healthy weight. Regular exercise can also boost your immune system and improve your overall well-being. Complete at least 150 minutes of exercise per week or 30 minutes a day. You can do flexibility exercises, aerobic exercises, and resistance training.
Stop Smoking
Cigarette smoking weakens your immune system and is one of the biggest risk factors for developing any type of cancer. When you stop smoking, your body immediately starts to repair itself. Isn’t that a good enough reason to quit right now? Hopefully, it is.
Symptoms & Risk Factors
Colon cancers don’t usually show signs and symptoms in the early stages. When they start to get worse, the following symptoms may appear:
- Blood in the stool
- Persistent stomach pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Weakness and fatigue
It’s not certain what causes colon cancer other than the abnormal growth of cells. However, some factors put you at a greater risk of developing colorectal cancer. These include the following:
- Aged 50 and above
- Having a family history of colon cancer
- Are obese and lead a sedentary lifestyle
- Smoke and drink alcohol regularly
- Don’t consume enough fiber-rich foods
- Have type 2 diabetes
Diagnosis & Treatment
Early diagnosis is the key to surviving colorectal cancer. As you get older, your risk increases. This is why people aged 50 and above are urged to have bowel screenings. If the above risk factors apply to you, it’s all the more important to get colorectal cancer screenings each year.
Screening tests can detect abnormal growth, also called precancerous polyps. These can be removed before they turn cancerous. The tests can also identify early stages of colon cancer. Speak to your doctor to know the right test for you and how often you should do it.
If you have precancerous polyps or cancer already, the treatment varies depending on the stage, location of cancer, and other health conditions. Early-stage colon cancers are treated with minimally invasive surgery, such as polyps removal and endoscopic mucosal resection.
Advanced colon cancer may require partial colectomy where the surgeon removes the portion of the colon with cancer and reconnects the healthy tissues. Another surgery is ostomy, which creates a way to pass the stool when the tissues cannot be connected to the rectum. Ostomy is often a temporary solution to allow the colon and rectum to heal. In some cases, it needs to be permanent through colostomy. Lymph node removal, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy may also be necessary.
Your lifestyle choices have a significant impact on your health. Poor lifestyle habits, from the foods that you eat to your physical activities, can lead to colorectal cancer. Keep the advice above in mind to help prevent and manage colon cancer. Don’t forget to consult your doctor for regular screenings as it is better to be safe than sorry!
