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What is it about ?
There are several types of colon cancer. Very often, polyps first develop on the intestinal wall. These are benign tumors made up of glandular tissue and usually attach to the intestinal lining. In the long term, these polyps can become malignant. This patient guide deals only with this type of colon cancer.
What is its frequency?
Colon cancer in Belgium is the third most important cancer in men, after prostate and lung cancer, and the second most important cancer in women after breast cancer. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death in men, and the third in women. Colon cancer occurs more in men, especially from the age of 64.
How to recognize it?
At first, symptoms are often absent. The main characteristics are the presence of blood and / or mucus in the stool and a change in the structure of the stool. We can also observe stomach aches, loss of appetite, weight loss and a false impression of urgent defecation (you have the feeling of having to go to the toilet, but nothing comes).
How is the diagnosis made?
If the doctor thinks of a colorectal tumor, he will suggest that you have an endoscopy or a colonoscopy. In this case, a tube fitted with a camera is inserted through the anus into the colon under local or general anesthesia. The intestine is completely examined. If there are suspicious lesions, the doctor will take a biopsy. This means that part of the suspicious lesion is removed for further examination under a microscope. In the presence of polyps, they are completely removed and analyzed.
If it is not possible to perform the colonoscopy for some reason, a colonography scan (also called a virtual colonoscopy) is done. If the diagnosis is certain, the doctor will check for metastases using a CT scan of the rib cage and abdomen, a PET-CT scan and possibly an MRI of the chest. liver.
All of these tests allow the doctor to determine what stage the cancer is at. All of this information is important in relation to the choice of treatment.
What does the treatment consist of?
Treatment depends on what stage the cancer is at. If the tumor is confined to the intestine and there is no metastasis elsewhere in the body, surgery is preferred in which the surgeon removes a piece of the intestine along with the surrounding lymph nodes. After the procedure, a team analyzes this intestinal sample and the removed lymph nodes. If the tumor is completely removed, if it is not very aggressive, and if affected nodes have not been detected, no further treatment is necessary. On the other hand, if metastases are found (usually in the liver, lungs and / or abdomen), there are several treatment options, the main one being surgical removal of metastases, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
How is the follow-up going?
Follow-up after treatment for colon cancer takes five years. Four to six weeks after the intervention, a first check is carried out, and a schedule is organized for the continuation of the follow-up. For the first two years, a physical examination and blood test take place every three months, and a CT scan every six months. For the next three years, the physical examination and blood test take place every six months. A colonoscopy is scheduled after one year and after five years. People who have not had a colonoscopy before the procedure will have one as soon as possible after the procedure.
- Colorectal cancer screening (video) – Fondation contre le cancer
- Colorectal cancer screening in Wallonia – CCR – Community Reference Center for cancer screening
- Colorectal cancer screening in Brussels – Brumammo
- Colonoscopy – Erasme Hospital
- Virtual colonoscopy, here, Where to find on this page of Cliniques St Luc UCL
- The scanner, here, Where to find on this page of Cliniques St Luc UCL
- MRI, here, Where to find on this page of Cliniques St Luc UCL
- PET scan – Erasme Hospital
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