Colorectal cancer is a malignant tumour that arises from the inner wall of the colon or rectum. The colon and rectum are parts of the digestive system where food is broken down to produce energy.

They are also important in getting rid of solid wastes from the body. Colorectal cancer affects men and women. Worldwide, colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer. In 2018, 1.8million cases were reported and confirmed globally. Approximately 862,000 deaths were also recorded.

It is the 3rd most common cancer in Nigerian men (after prostate cancer and liver cancer). Whereas, it is the 4th most common cancer in Nigerian women (after breast cancer, cervical cancer and liver cancer).

Most colorectal cancer begins as a growth called a polyp. Polyp is a growth in the lining of the digestive tract that is non-cancerous and causes no problems. Meanwhile, after some years, the polyp grows into cancerous cells. The cause for the transformation of polyp into cancer has not been found yet. These cells can travel to other parts of the body including the liver.

Risk factors of colorectal cancer are family history, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, diabetes mellitus, previous history of colorectal cancer, excessive alcohol intake, obesity, age and other medical conditions.

Symptoms are not noticed early, but as cancer grows, symptoms develop. The symptoms are bleeding, change in bowel habits, abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue and abdominal swelling.

Laboratory diagnoses of colorectal cancer involve faecal tests (stool DNA test, faecal immunochemical test, stool occult blood test), blood tests (tumour marker tests, genomic tumour assessment, complete blood count, liver function test and nutrition panel test) and urine metabolomic markers.

Visit MedBioTechLab for a reliable laboratory diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer.

References:

www.cancer.org

www.cancercenter.com

www.guardian.ng

www.njghonweb.org