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Colorectal cancer<\/strong> is one of the most common cancers and one of the leading causes of death. Dr. Konstantinos M. Konstantinidis<\/a>, MD, PhD, FACS, MAMSE, FASMBS, answers questions on this very topical subject, explaining colon cancer and self-tests.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The large intestine<\/strong> (colon) plays an important role in our digestive system. It absorbs<\/strong> water and electrolytes, contributes<\/strong> to the digestion and absorption of nutrients<\/strong>, forms and stores<\/strong> stool, and hosts bacteria that ferment undigested food.<\/p>\n Colon cancer<\/a> forms in the wall of the intestine and is characterized by the multiplication of the cells of the intestinal wall. This type of cancer is the third<\/strong> most common in both men and women, and it is the fourth<\/strong> leading cause of cancer death<\/strong> worldwide. More specifically, it affects 1 in 20 people, with 90% of cases occurring in people over the age of 50.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Symptoms of colon cancer may include:<\/p>\n It is important to note that the symptoms of colon cancer may be mild or may appear only in more advanced stages of the disease.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Colon cancer<\/strong> is one of the most common forms of cancer and can be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and dietary factors. The main causes and risk factors include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Colon cancer should be diagnosed by a doctor after a clinical examination of the patient. The doctor will guide the patient through every step toward a diagnosis of colon cancer, avoiding<\/strong> the possibility of a misdiagnosis. Endoscopy, CT, MRI, PET scan, endoscopy of the digestive tract and histological examination (biopsy) are some of the recommended diagnostic tests.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As part of the prevention and early diagnosis of colon cancer, the Greek government introduced free self-tests for citizens who meet specific criteria. The screening program, aimed at people aged 50-69, seeks to create a comprehensive national prevention plan, so that citizens do not need to visit a doctor first.<\/p>\n However, a positive self-test result does not necessarily mean that cancer is present. Self-tests detect blood in the stool, a possible risk marker for colon cancer, but the bleeding<\/strong> may also be caused by other conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.<\/p>\n For this reason, it is vital that colon cancer be diagnosed by a specialized doctor<\/strong>, to ensure a complete and valid screening.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The treatment of colon cancer depends on the stage of the disease, the patient’s health and other individual factors.<\/p>\n The main treatment methods include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Colon cancer<\/strong> is the 4th<\/sup> deadliest type of cancer, which makes choosing a good surgeon to remove the tumors extremely important. If you have symptoms or have been diagnosed with colon cancer, contact<\/a> Dr. Konstantinos M. Konstantinidis<\/a> to learn more and get guidance on the surgical procedure.<\/p>\n They may include unusual changes in bowel habits (persistent diarrhea or constipation, changes in stool consistency), blood in the stool or during a bowel movement, abdominal pain, cramps or bloating that does not go away, a feeling of incomplete emptying, weight loss for no obvious reason, constant fatigue and unexplained anemia. Symptoms may be mild or may appear only in more advanced stages.<\/p>\n A feeling of incomplete emptying, meaning the sensation that the bowel does not empty completely after a bowel movement, is one of the symptoms that colon cancer can cause. The diagnosis must be made by a doctor after a clinical examination.<\/p>\n Self-tests detect blood in the stool, which is a possible risk marker. A positive result does not necessarily mean cancer, because the bleeding may also be caused by other conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. That is why the diagnosis must be made by a specialized doctor.<\/p>\n The diagnosis is made by a doctor after a clinical examination. The tests used include endoscopy, CT and MRI scans, PET scan and histological examination with a biopsy.<\/p>\n Treatment depends on the stage of the disease, the patient’s health and other individual factors. The main method is surgical removal of the tumor, with a colectomy or low anterior resection depending on the location and extent of the tumor, and the most advanced option is robotic colectomy with the da Vinci Xi system. In some cases, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation therapy is needed before or after surgery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and one of the leading causes of death. Dr. Konstantinos M. Konstantinidis, MD, PhD, FACS, MAMSE, FASMBS, answers questions on this very topical subject, explaining colon cancer and self-tests. What is colon cancer? The large intestine (colon) plays an important role in our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":2501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pathiseis-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kkonstantinidis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is colon cancer?<\/h2>\n
Colon cancer symptoms<\/h2>\n
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Causes of colon cancer<\/h2>\n
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Colon cancer: diagnosis<\/h2>\n
Colon cancer and self-tests<\/h2>\n
Treatment options<\/h2>\n
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Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What are the symptoms of colon cancer?<\/h3>\n
Is the feeling that the bowel does not empty a symptom of cancer?<\/h3>\n
What does a positive self-test result mean?<\/h3>\n
Which tests are used for diagnosis?<\/h3>\n
How is bowel cancer treated?<\/h3>\n