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Friday, January 8, 2010

Colon and Liver Cancer - 2 Deadly But Preventable Diseases

The point of this article is not to discuss which of these two cancers are more dangerous, but in fact to build awareness of these two diseases, so that we as adults can make the necessary precautions by living a healthy life and lessening the chances of developing either or both of these two life-threatening illnesses. The first part of the discussion will concentrate on a leading cause of cancer deaths, having a cancerous liver.

Liver Cancer

As the name suggests, liver cancer is a disease in which a class of cells show uncontrolled abnormal growth in the liver, often times leading to death if there is no early detection to start the treatment process. There are two types of cancer of the liver. These are a primary liver cancer and a secondary liver cancer. Simply put, the primary liver cancer originates in the cells of the liver while with the secondary cancerous liver, the cancer developed in another part of the body, spreading to the liver, infecting its walls and causing turmoil. (Late stage colon cancer, for instance). Now this is a serious condition as the liver is a vital organ and a part of the digestive system. This process cannot take place properly if the liver is not in good working condition. The liver has many jobs within this process including decomposing red blood cells, storing glycogen, detoxification, hormone production as well as producing urea and amino acids, which are essentially the building blocks of the body.

All in all, this can be prevented by reducing one's intake of alcohol, even to nil if possible. The use of illegal drugs via injections, having unprotected sex which may cause Hepatitis C and smoking are also not recommended. Undeniably, if you start to experience symptoms of abdominal enlargement, loss of appetite, vomiting, drastic unintentional weight loss, tiredness and jaundice then visit a doctor ASAP! Now let us take a look at colon cancer.

Colon Cancer

Cancer of the colon is a disease that results in abnormal growths on the inner linings of the colon. The colon is the tube at the end of our digestive system which is more commonly known as comprising of the large intestine. It is needed in the digestive and excretion process to store foods that will be expelled from the human body. Common symptoms include constipation, diarrhea, presence of blood in your stools, vomiting, abdominal pain, a black stool, weight loss and an overall loss of appetite. All things considered, there a few treatment options available for colon cancer including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. With surgery, the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes are removed; with chemotherapy, medications are administered to kill microscopic cancer cells (in conjunction with the surgery) while radiation therapy given before or after the operation, seeks to particularize the cancer to the rectum.

All in all, we should all try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, having an intake of the right foods and liquids while refraining from harmful substances such as cigarettes and alcohol in excess. Be proactive in taking care of your colon and liver today and you will live a much longer life!

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