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A: First, the doctor may recommend you to undergo a few screening tests if you don't have any symptoms to diagnose the complication. Colonoscopy is a procedure in which a long, flexible and slender tube is inserted inside your rectum and the images are transmitted to a video monitor outside. The doctor may collect samples of tissues if he/she finds discrepancies (Biopsy) for analysis. Blood tests may also be recommended. Further treatment depends on the stage of colon cancer:

• Early-stage Cancer: In such a situation, a minimally invasive approach to surgery is required, which may include polypectomy, mucosal resection or a laparoscopic surgery
• Advanced stage Cancer: If cancer has grown into or through the colon, your doctor may suggest partial colectomy or surgery create a way to leave your body or a nearby lymph node removal to check for cancer.
• Other procedures that may be suggested by the doctor depending upon the complications:
  1. Chemotherapy
  2. Radiotherapy
  3. Immunotherapy
  4. Targeted drug therapy
  5. Proton beam therapy
  6. Palliative care

A: Surgery is mostly adopted for early-stage colon cancers. The main risks that such surgeries come with are:

• Blood clots in legs
• Infections
• Bleeding
• Rarely the jointed colon may leak which may cause severe belly pain, fever
• Adhesions may take place which can cause blockages in bowel movements

• Damage to tissues of other body parts
• Loss of hair on body parts
• Extreme loss in weight
• Loss of appetite
• General disinterest in everything
• Stress or Depression
• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
• Gastric disturbances
• Infertility
• Nerve damage
• Recurrence of cancer

A: If you have been diagnosed with colon cancer, your doctor may inform you about the stage of cancer which is important in the sense that it would clarify what further procedures are required. After a colonoscopy and probably a few blood tests, your doctor might be able to ascertain which stage of cancer are you suffering from. For the benefit of the reader, types of treatment are categorized into two parts:

1. Early-stage surgery: if the colon cancer is very small, your doctor may recommend minimally invasive surgery like:
   1. Removing polyps during colonoscopy (Polypectomy): If the cancer is small, localised and contained within a polyp, the doctor might remove it during colonoscopy
   2. Endoscopic Mucosal Resection: In the case of relatively larger polyps, the doctor may remove them and a small amount of inner lining of the colon using special tools.
   3. Laparoscopic surgery: It is a minimally invasive survival procedure. In this procedure, the surgeon removes the polyps through multiple small incisions in your abdominal area, inserting small cameras and instruments which transmit pictures on a video screen. The surgeon may also take samples from nearby lymph nodes from the area where the cancer is located.
2. Advanced Colon Cancer Treatment: This is opted for by the surgeon or specialists if the cancer has grown in or through your colon. These procedures are categorized as follows:
   1. Partial Colectomy: In this procedure, the surgeon removes a part of your colon which has the cancerous tumor. Generally, the surgeon is able to connect the healthy parts of the colon. This procedure can be done through laparoscopy.
   2. Surgery to create a way for waste to leave your body: When the surgeon is able to connect healthy parts of your colon, you may need a colostomy. A colostomy involves creating an opening in your abdomen from a portion of the remaining rectum for the discharge of stool into a bag that fits securely over the opening. The colostomy in some cases is temporary while in others might be permanent.
   3. Lymph node removal: Nearby lymph nodes are also removed during surgery in some cases to check for cancer.

• Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. In the case of Colon Cancer, chemotherapy is generally adopted after the surgery, if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. This way chemotherapy reduces the chances of cancer recurrence. Chemotherapy may also be used before surgery so that a large cancer is reduced to a smaller size that is manageable to be removed by the follow-up surgery. Sometimes, chemotherapy is also combined with radiation therapy
• Radiation Therapy: Uses powerful radiations, such as X-rays, to kill cancer cells. It might also be used to shrink the size of cancer before surgery. This procedure might also be used to relieve symptoms like pain.
• Targeted Drug Delivery: Focuses on specific abnormalities within the cancerous cells. In such procedures, the drugs act upon the abnormalities that ultimately lead to the death of cancer cells. This is usually combined with chemotherapy. Targeted Drug delivery is specifically reserved for advanced cancer treatment.
• Immunotherapy: Uses the body's immune system to treat cancer. The cancer cells produce proteins that block the immune system from recognizing them as abnormal. Immunotherapy interferes with this very process. This is reserved for advanced colon cancer only.

A: Colon cancer is a kind of cancer that starts in the final part of the large intestine which is called colon. Colon Cancer usually affects older adults but can occur at any age. It usually begins with the development of non-cancerous and benign lumps called polyps which gradually can turn into cancer. Polyps may or may not show any symptoms. This is the reason why doctors recommend regular screening so that the polyps are removed before they turn into cancer. Colon Cancer is also known as colorectal cancer.

A: If you are suffering from one or more of the following symptoms, you may or may not be suffering from Colon Cancer but it is recommended that you attend to it immediately and set an appointment with a doctor for screening and diagnosis:

1. If you are suffering from abdominal discomfort persistently due to gas or cramps.
2. If there are significant and persistent changes in your bowel habits which might include diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool
3. Rectal bleeding can be a symptom of colon cancer
4. A feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely may also be an indication
5. Weakness or fatigue over a long period
6. Unexplained and continuous weight loss

A: Follow-up care recommendations are mainly intended for people who were previously suffering from stage-2 or stage-3 colorectal cancer. It is uncertain what testing should one go for if he/she was suffering from stage I colorectal cancer as this stage is less likely to recur. But the following can be recommended in general for post-treatment care:

• The primary goal of follow-up care after receiving colon cancer treatment is early detection of cancer that might have recurred.
• Follow-up care includes regular physical examinations, CT Scans, and colonoscopy.
• Discuss with the doctor the possibility of recurrence of cancer and the necessary precautions to reduce that possibility.

• Keep friends and family close
• Find someone to talk to
• Learn enough about cancer to be comfortable in making treatment decisions.

A: If you have been recommended by your doctor to undergo Colon Cancer Treatment, the following steps should be followed to ensure you are well prepared for the treatment: Medications: Discuss all your medications with your doctor as some medications may need to be stopped days before the procedure. The doctor may recommend discontinuation of certain medicines and supplements that would induce bleeding during arthroscopy. Dietary restrictions: Discuss your diet with the doctor and surely ask if any necessary dietary changes are required while undergoing the treatment. Colon surgery is done on an empty stomach and colon. You might be asked to not eat anything the night before the surgery. Communicating beforehand: Tell the doctor about the symptoms you are experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the complication. Other Guidelines:

• Tell the doctor about all the stresses you have been experiencing or any recent lifestyle changes
• Tell the doctor about all key personal information
• Consider taking a family friend or member along as sometimes it is difficult to absorb all the information provided during the appointment.

A: Colon Cancer Treatment may be suggested by your doctor if:

• There's a persistent change in your bowel movement, including diarrhea or constipation or any other inconsistency in your stool.
• There is blood in your stool
• Persistent abdominal discomfort which might include gas, pain or cramps
• You get the feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely
• There is weakness or fatigue
• There is unexplained weight loss

A: Colon Cancer Treatment is performed in advanced operation theatres at the multi-specialty hospital having good gastroenterologists, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, colorectal/GI surgeons and well-trained staff on their panel. Other specialists like gynaecologist, urologists and general surgeons may also be needed. At Credihealth, we offer you a vast pool of hospitals with state-of-the-art operation theatres and observation units for postoperative monitoring. You can choose the suitable cost of Colon Cancer Treatment in Delhi from our list.

A: You might be treated by a team of a certified and well-qualified group of doctors in such a case. These include:

• Medical Oncologist: oversees the whole treatment and prescribes chemotherapy
• Radiation Oncologist: treats the patient with radiation
• Colorectal Surgeon: is involved in the surgery, if required

A: In the case of Colon Cancer or any cancer for that matter, the doctors aren't certain about the exact reasons why people develop cancer. It generally starts with mutations in the DNA of normal cells. These changes result in abnormal functioning of the cells, which in some cases might lead to cancer. These abnormalities interfere with the surrounding tissue and may in some cases also travel to other body parts (metastasis). To stop the cancerous cell to cause irretrievable damage to the surrounding tissue or other body parts, a doctor may recommend Colon Cancer Treatment. If you need to know more about cost-related details, you can inquire about Colon Cancer Treatment cost in Delhi or book an appointment with a doctor through Credihealth.