What is colon cancer?
Colon cancer is cancer that starts in the inside lining of the colon, which is part of your large intestine. Not counting skin cancers, it’s the third most diagnosed cancer today. Because they are similar, colon and rectal cancer are often grouped and called colorectal cancer.
This type of cancer is highly preventable and treatable when caught early. According to data from the CDC, there are more than 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer each year in the United States. However, this number has decreased over the last two decades—most likely due to increased compliance with screening and polyp removal.
You have options if you have colon cancer risk factors or a new colon cancer diagnosis. Our locations offer complete services to care for you, from screenings to second opinions to innovative cancer care.
Symptoms of colon cancer
Especially in the early stages of colon cancer, it’s possible to have no symptoms at all. The symptoms of colon cancer can also mimic other digestive conditions, such as infections, hemorrhoids and inflammatory bowel disease.
That’s why it’s essential to listen to your body and talk to your doctor if you have ongoing symptoms or notice something feels off with your digestive health. Check-in with your physician if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Bowel habit changes, including diarrhea or constipation
- Narrow or ribbon-like stools that last for more than a few days
- Rectal bleeding, visible blood in the stool or dark stools
- Cramping or gnawing stomach pain
- Decreased appetite
- Vomiting
- Unintended weight loss
- Weakness and fatigue
- Continuing to feel that you cannot empty your bowels
In the later stages of colon cancer, you’re more likely to have symptoms like weight loss, swelling and pain in your abdomen. If colon cancer spreads, it can also cause symptoms in other areas of your body, such as the lungs or liver. Your healthcare team can help you get to the source of your symptoms.
Causes of colon cancer
Colon cancer happens when abnormal cells in the colon’s lining divide and multiply. Doctors don’t fully understand why this occurs in some people, and there isn’t one leading cause of colon cancer. Many factors combine to decide your risk of developing the disease, from family history to medical conditions to lifestyle choices.
However, we do know that most colon cancers start from polyps. By finding and removing pre-cancerous polyps through routine colon cancer screening, doctors have the potential to stop colon cancer before it ever starts.
Colon cancer risk factors
While you can make some lifestyle choices to reduce your risk of colon cancer, other factors may not be in your control. For example, medical conditions, genetics, age and ethnicity all play a role in your personal risk.
One of the most important steps to protect yourself from colon cancer is knowing your risk factors and talking with your doctor about the right colon cancer screenings for you. If you have a high risk of colon cancer, your care team will walk you through your options so that you can take action to reduce your risk.
Hereditary colon cancer
It’s estimated about 5-10% of all cases of colon cancer are hereditary colon cancer. This means a person inherits a specific genetic mutation that makes them much more likely to develop colon cancer.
Several genetic mutations and syndromes have been linked to colon cancer, but researchers continue to look into other genetic causes of the disease. The most common hereditary conditions currently connected to a high risk of colon cancer are Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis.
If you have a strong family history of colon cancer or a blood relative diagnosed with a genetic condition linked to colon cancer, talk with your doctor about genetic counseling. A genetic counselor can guide your next steps, including genetic testing and preventive care, based on your risk factors and history.
How colon cancer is diagnosed
You have several options to help screen for and diagnose colon cancer. Your care team will decide on the right option based on your symptoms, risk factors, family and medical history, and more.
Early diagnosis of colon cancer is vital to provide you with the most options for your care and the highest recovery rate. When cancer is caught in its earliest stages, the survival rate is more than 90% at five years.
Especially if you have symptoms, a colonoscopy is the most commonly used test for colon cancer. However, blood tests, stool tests and imaging tests also give your healthcare team valuable information about your colon health and help with diagnosis and treatment planning.
Colonoscopy
A colonoscopy uses a tube with a light and a small camera to let your doctor look at the inside of your entire colon. During a colonoscopy, your provider may take tissue samples or remove polyps to help diagnose cancer.
Sigmoidoscopy
A sigmoidoscopy, including flexible sigmoidoscopy, uses a small tube and camera to view the inside of the colon and look for signs of cancer. While colonoscopy looks at the whole colon, sigmoidoscopy only looks at the bottom portion of the colon.
Fecal testing
Fecal or stool testing allows you to take a sample—or multiple samples—of your stool at home and then send them to a lab to look for hidden blood or DNA that might signal cancer. The most common colon cancer stool tests include Guaiac-based fecal occult blood tests, fecal immunochemical tests and stool DNA tests.
Blood tests
Your doctor may order blood tests such as a complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel or CEA assay. These could help identify abnormal levels of cells or antigens in your blood or rule out other conditions.
CT colonoscopy
Sometimes called a virtual colonoscopy, this procedure uses computed tomography (CT) to create images of your colon. These images are then reviewed to look for polyps or cancer in the colon.
X-ray
To get a closer look at your colon and look for cancer, your doctor may use a barium enema. This moving X-ray, or fluoroscopy, procedure injects barium into the colon through the rectum to coat it and create images.
Types of colon cancer
Most of the time, colon cancer begins in the cells that make up the colon’s inner lining. But there are other types of colon cancer, too. Some rare types of colon cancer start in the blood vessels, muscles, lymph cells or hormone-producing cells.
Understanding the type of colon cancer you have is important because it will guide your care. Your healthcare team will tailor your treatment options based on the type and stage of the cancer.
Stages of colon cancer
After colon cancer diagnosis, staging determines the most suitable action and treatment options.
Colon cancer is categorized into four stages, ranging from 0 to 4, where stage 0 represents the earliest precancerous phase and stage 4 indicates the most advanced stage.
Understanding the significance of each colon cancer stage and the typical treatment plans for both stages and substages can provide valuable insights into the best approach to managing the disease.
Colon cancer treatment
Treatment options for colon cancer continue to improve, especially for cancers caught before they can spread to distant locations in the body. Your care team will create a colon cancer treatment plan based on your colon cancer stage, type, health history and individual needs.
Many treatment plans include some type of surgery to remove as much colon cancer as possible. But your care team may also recommend chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapies or immunotherapy options. Sometimes, multiple treatments are used together to care for you. In some cases, you may have the option to be a part of a clinical trial as part of your colon cancer care.
Surgery
Surgery is a common treatment in all stages of colon cancer. The goal of surgery is to remove all or part of the cancerous cells. Many of our care locations offer advanced, minimally invasive options, including laparoscopy or robotic-assisted surgery, which use smaller incisions to help speed up recovery.
Some surgical options include:
- Polypectomy, a procedure done through endoscopy (colonoscopy) to remove a cancerous polyp
- Colectomy, a surgery to remove a section of the colon affected by cancer or all of the colon
- Colectomy with colostomy, a procedure that removes all or part of the colon and connects the top of the colon to an opening in the abdomen and a bag to collect stool, which can be temporary or permanent
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy drugs are sometimes used to treat colon cancer by shrinking or destroying cancer cells. This treatment option is often used with surgery and is most common in stage 3 and stage 4 colon cancer.
Radiation
In some cases, radiation therapy is used to treat colon cancer. It destroys cancer with targeted high-energy rays. Radiation therapy is less common than chemotherapy or surgery in colon cancer and is often used in the later stages of the condition.
Targeted therapy
This type of treatment targets specific genes or proteins in cancer cells to prevent them from continuing to grow or multiply. One of the most common targeted therapies is monoclonal antibodies.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is an innovative treatment for colon cancer that uses the body’s immune system to destroy cancer. Cells are often modified in the lab and then infused into the blood to help fight cancer better.
Colon cancer prevention
The best way to fight colon cancer is to stop it from developing. With today’s colon cancer screening tools, many cases of colon cancer are preventable. You can also reduce your risk through healthy lifestyle choices, knowing your family history and seeking care for digestive symptoms.
Some actions you can take to help prevent colon cancer include:
- Get routine colon cancer screenings
- Take proactive steps if you have a family history or conditions that increase your risk
- Focus on a high-fiber, low-fat diet and reduce the amount of red and processed meats
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Quit smoking and tobacco products
- Limit the amount of alcohol you consume
- Stay physically active
- Manage health conditions like diabetes
Screening for colon cancer
For people with an average risk, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends starting colon cancer screening at the age of 45. The screening test you choose, from stool tests to colonoscopy, will determine how often you should be screened.
In general, screening options include:
- High sensitivity gFOBT stool test: every year
- FIT stool test: every year
- sDNA-FIT stool test: every one to three years
- Colonoscopy: every ten years
- Virtual colonoscopy: every five years
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy: every five years
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy: every ten years when used with FIT every year
If you have risk factors for colon cancer, talk with your doctor about when and how often you should have a colon cancer screening.
Our locations near you
We help you get care at a location that fits your needs. We offer several locations for your care, including colon cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment in North and Central Texas.
Baylor Scott & White Cancer Center - Round Rock
300A University Blvd , Round Rock, TX, 78665- Monday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Tuesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Thursday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Friday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center - Dallas
3410 Worth St , Dallas, TX, 75246
Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center - Duncanville
310 E Hwy 67 , Duncanville, TX, 75137- Monday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Tuesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Thursday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Friday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center - Irving
2001 N MacArthur Blvd Ste 120, Irving, TX, 75061
Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center - Waxahachie
2380 N Interstate 35E , Waxahachie, TX, 75165- Monday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
- Tuesday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
- Wednesday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
- Thursday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
- Friday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
- Saturday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
- Sunday: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
Baylor Scott & White Colon and Rectal - Waxahachie
2360 N Interstate 35E Ste 310, Waxahachie, TX, 75165- Monday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Tuesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Thursday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Friday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Frisco at PGA Parkway
7600 Better Way , Frisco, TX, 75033
Baylor Scott & White Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center - Temple
2401 S 31st St , Temple, TX, 76508- Monday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Tuesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Thursday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Friday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health
3500 Gaston Ave , Dallas, TX, 75246
Lonestar Endoscopy Center - Flower Mound
1001 Surrey Ln , Flower Mound, TX, 75022- Monday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Tuesday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Wednesday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Thursday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Friday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
Lonestar Endoscopy Center - Southlake
515 S Nolen Dr , Southlake, TX, 76092- Monday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Tuesday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Wednesday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Thursday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Friday: 5:00 am - 3:00 pm
North Central Surgical Center Hospital
9301 N Central Expy Ste 100, Dallas, TX, 75231
Tuscan Surgery Center at Las Colinas
701 Tuscan Dr Ste 100, Irving, TX, 75039- Monday: 6:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Tuesday: 6:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: 6:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Thursday: 6:00 am - 5:00 pm
- Friday: 6:00 am - 5:00 pm