Adenocarcinoma of the rectum

The disease we are going to talk about, namely rectal adenocarcinoma, is dangerous because it is not transmitted by airborne droplets or sexually, and is not a consequence of medical intervention. It is embedded in the human genetic code, so there is little hope for disposable syringes, gauze bandages and condoms.

The precursors of this terrible disease are observed in a quarter of the population. This disease, when activated, kills a seemingly absolutely healthy person within a year. Those who survive the first blow, as a rule, do not live longer than two years. Meet: rectal adenocarcinoma - rectal cancer. Adenocarcinoma is the most common of the known malignant tumors of the rectum.

Colorectal cancer, but we will scientifically call it rectal adenocarcinoma, is already recognized in the world as the main oncological problem of humanity in the 21st century. And the most offensive thing is that the early stage of a benign or malignant tumor does not cause any inconvenience to its carrier. If adenocarcinoma were diagnosed at an early stage, there would not be such a high mortality rate. Unfortunately, tumors that are already incurable make themselves known, and the chances of recovery even after operations and chemotherapy are small. That is why doctors around the world are focused on studying rectal adenocarcinoma, and above all the symptoms of this disease.

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Causes of rectal adenocarcinoma

Advances in medicine have revealed the secret of the origin of colorectal cancer. Let's take an example - in units of tumors - the consequences of genetic mutations. In most patients with rectal adenocarcinoma, the disease is a complex interaction of external factors and heritage. Scientists have found a pattern and claim that in most cases, rectal adenocarcinoma develops from a benign adenoma (in other words, a polyp). Among the causes of such a disease as rectal adenocarcinoma, scientists name the following:

• First of all, sadly, it is a hereditary factor. Most likely, those whose relatives have suffered from this disease will get colon cancer;
• Nutrition. Low amount of plant fiber, which is found in fresh vegetables and fruits, predominance of fats, excess of flour, unsuitable diet;
• Age. According to statistics, the majority of patients with rectal adenocarcinoma are people over fifty;
• A person who works with asbestos has a double risk of developing the disease;
• Constant nervous stress, long-term constipation, exposure to toxic chemicals (including medications)
• Anal sex, papillomavirus;
• Diseases of the colon – polyps, fistulas, colitis.

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Symptoms of rectal adenocarcinoma

It is important to know the symptoms of the disease in order to diagnose and treat it as early as possible. You should be wary if you encounter one, and especially several of the factors listed below. So, the main symptoms of the disease:

• Irregular aching pain in the abdomen;
• No hunger, weight loss;
• Slight increase in temperature;
• The patient's weakened condition, pale appearance;
• The stool contains blood, mucus, or possibly pus;
• Bloated abdomen;
• Irregular bowel movements - when constipation alternates with diarrhea, it is possible to experience only constant constipation or incessant diarrhea;
• Defecation is accompanied by painful sensations.

Classification of rectal adenocarcinoma

Scientists and doctors take into account different parameters of colon cancer classification. By disease types, the main indicator is the degree of differentiation (homogeneity), this factor determines the method of cancer treatment and to identify the type of tumor, a thorough diagnosis is needed. So, they distinguish

• Highly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the colon,
• Moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the colon,
• Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma
• And, poorly treatable undifferentiated cancer.

Highly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the colon is treated faster, easier, and the hope for recovery in such cases is greater.

Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the colon is divided into the following types:

1. Mucous adenocarcinoma (also called mucous cancer, colloid cancer). The main difference is a large amount of mucus secretion with clusters of different sizes;
2. Signet-ring cell (mucocellular cancer). This type of cancer also occurs in young people. Treatment of this subtype of adenocarcinoma is complicated by the extensive internal growth of the tumor with blurred boundaries. In this case, resection of the intestine is difficult. This type of cancer quickly "lets out" metastases, usually spreading not only in the intestine, but also to neighboring organs and tissues if the intestine is even slightly damaged.
3. Squamous cell carcinoma
4. Glandular squamous cell carcinoma (less commonly diagnosed than other types of colon cancer).

Undifferentiated cancer is characterized by intramural tumor growth, which must be taken into account during surgical intervention.

For treatment, it is necessary to know such indicators as the depth of germination, the clarity of the tumor boundaries, and the frequency of lymphogenous metastasis.

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Diagnosis of rectal adenocarcinoma

The accepted modern methods of treatment suggest the possibility of detecting colon cancer always under the following conditions - strict adherence to the diagnostic algorithm and the use of all diagnostic methods available to science. The sequence of diagnostics of colon adenocarcinoma is as follows: assessment of complaints, clinical examinations, digital rectal examination, thorough rectoscopy, clinical blood test, mandatory stool analysis for occult blood, colonoscopy, in special cases and irrigoscopy, ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis, endorectal ultrasound examination, tumor biopsy if detected. Any alarming symptoms in the intestinal area should be assessed as a possible risk for people over fifty years of age. Seventy percent of tumors, as statistics show, are localized in the rectum and sigmoid colon. Therefore, a simple digital examination gives good diagnostic results. It is also important to conduct an ultrasound examination correctly - an assessment of the prevalence of the tumor and possible metastases is carried out only in this way. In the most difficult cases, doctors usually require CT scans and MRIs.

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Treatment of rectal adenocarcinoma

There are three methods of treating this type of cancer - purely surgical, combined and complex. The first method is used only in the initial stages of the disease.

The main method of treatment is radical intervention and surgical removal of the inflamed organ. Surgical intervention is radical, ablastic and aseptic. Successful surgery is determined by careful preparation for the operation. Ablasticity and asepticity during surgical intervention are the result of a whole complex of interrelated actions. For example, careful handling of the colon, early treatment of the main vessels, mobilization of the intestine. Radicalism of the operation is the surgeon's decision on an adequate volume of intervention with mandatory removal of the metastasis zone.

Most often, doctors resort to combined and complex treatment of rectal adenocarcinoma. First, doctors act on the tumor in order to reduce its mass, devitalize tumor cells, and only then resort to surgical intervention. According to studies, adenocarcinoma of the rectum and colon is radiosensitive, and therefore it is irradiated with braking radiation of a bebatron. Many patients after such a procedure experience a decrease in tumor size (in fifty percent of patients) due to the devitalization of dangerous cells. Thus, favorable conditions are created for subsequent surgical intervention.

There are now a sufficient number of treatment regimens for rectal adenocarcinoma that include both pre- and post-operative chemical treatment of cancer cells; in some cases, doctors make decisions on an individual basis. Usually, combining radiation and chemotherapy is recommended in extreme cases when other methods do not help.

Surgery for rectal adenocarcinoma

By volume, surgeons divide surgical interventions into typical, combined, and extended. Everything depends on the stage of the cancerous tumor, the extent of its spread, and the presence of metastases. Typical resections localize the tumor. Combined resections are used when the cancerous tumor has spread to other organs. Extended resections are used for several synchronous tumors that have arisen simultaneously.

Prevention of rectal adenocarcinoma

Unfortunately, patients often overcome shame when the problem becomes unbearable. Of all doctors, proctologists are the ones they fear the most. People tolerate inconveniences until the very end. This is an erroneous attitude towards oneself and one’s health, which leads to terrible consequences – including the development of rectal adenocarcinoma. And the prognosis for such a disease is not very encouraging. And the treatment is one of the most difficult. It is necessary to overcome the feeling of fear, because it is the proctologist who diagnoses the disease. What should be done to avoid the disease? First of all, take care of your gastrointestinal tract. Treat gastrointestinal diseases in a timely manner. First of all, you need to pay attention to proper nutrition; if necessary, seek recommendations from a nutritionist. If you have already been prescribed a diet, stick to it. Try to avoid exposure to harmful substances (asbestos). Take only those medications that have been prescribed to you after a thorough examination. Coping with stress is a must. Recognize your problem and learn to cope with it. Infectious diseases need to be treated, the principle of "it will go away on its own" is destructive. Anal sex is prohibited. Carefully study what your relatives have suffered from. If you find cases of rectal adenocarcinoma among your relatives, realize that you are at risk. Get examined! Usually, a person gets rectal adenocarcinoma when several unfavorable factors act at once. So it is in your power and ability to exclude harmful factors influencing your body. Leaving one or two unfavorable factors from the list is not as scary as general inaction.

Prognosis of rectal adenocarcinoma

The prognosis of colon cancer directly depends on the stage of the tumor process. The initial stages of the disease have good statistics on patient survival even after radical operations, patients survive in 90% of cases. But as the stage of the disease increases, the indicators of the curable worsen. With damage to the lymphatic system, the five-year survival rate is already 50% or less. With right-sided localization of the tumor on the colon, five-year survival is predicted for only 20% of patients. The average survival of patients with such a diagnosis who have undergone radical surgery is no more than 50%.

We cannot please you by saying that there are already methods in the world that detect this disease at the moment of its origin. And there are no treatment methods with a full guarantee of recovery either. The most important task for a patient with rectal adenocarcinoma is to survive for five years after the cancer is diagnosed. Then the body will feel better. We hope that doctors will finally reveal the cause of this disease and stop its spread. We will give just two facts for reflection - adenocarcinoma of the colon is practically not diagnosed in Japan and North Africa and is not found among vegetarians.