How To Detect And Treat Rectal Adenocarcinoma

If you suspect having rectal cancer, you may be interested on how to detect and treat rectal adenocarcinoma. This is the most common form of rectal cancer that produces a variety of symptoms. Early diagnosis of these symptoms and prompt treatment are keys to prevent progression of the disease.

Things you'll need:

• Doctor's appointment and appropriate tests
• Counseling

1. Rectal adenocarcinoma produces distinctive symptoms that may lead to its diagnosis. Among the indications that could help detect the condition are blood in the stool, rectal bleeding, rectal mass, weight loss, constipation, abdominal discomfort, fatigue and change in appetite.
2. To make an accurate diagnosis for rectal adenocarcinoma, special diagnostic tests are recommended. A thorough physical examination is a standard procedure given together with some tests such as a digital rectal examination, proctoscopy (a thin tube-like instrument to view the inside of the rectum), colonoscopy (detects any signs of polyps inside the rectum and can take sample tissues to detect cancer) and biopsy. The Carcinoembryonic Antigen Assay (CEA) may also be taken for laboratory test to detect any abnormal levels from the bloodstream that indicates the presence of cancer.
3. The treatment for rectal adenocarcinoma depends on the stage of the cancer. Important considerations include how much cancer cells have spread in the rectum and other parts of the body and the extent of the damage in the rectal wall. There are different treatment options for rectal adenocarcinoma. These include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and lifestyle counseling. Early stage of rectal cancer may only require surgical removal of the mass. For progressive rectal adenocarcinoma that spread to affect the lymph nodes and other parts of the body, radiation treatment is necessary.
4. Counseling is an important part of treatment. Rectal adenocarcinoma patients require lifestyle counseling to ensure the cancer will not recur. Counseling includes teaching the patient proper dieting to help avoid the growth of colon polyps. It also gives patients medical support in terms of vitamins and supplements they need together with an exercise regimen and lifestyle changes to prevent the recurrence of rectal adenocarcinoma.