Bowel Cancer
What
is bowel cancer?
The bowel is the long 'tube' that absorbs
water and nutrients from food and processes waste
products into faeces. It includes the small bowel, colon and rectum. Bowel
cancer usually begins in
the lining of the colon or rectum. If untreated it spreads deeper into the
wall of the bowel. From
there, it can spread to the liver or lungs.
Symptoms of bowel cancer:
The most common symptoms of bowel cancer include:
1. Blood or mucus in the faeces
2. An unexpected change in bowel habit (for example diarrhoea or
constipation for no obvious
reason)
3. Pain and/or swelling in the lower abdomen
4. Constant tiredness
5. Weakness and paleness.
How bowel cancer is
treated?
Surgery
is the main treatment for bowel cancer. The surgeon removes the section of
the bowel
affected by cancer and then joins the two ends. A stoma (an opening of the
bowel onto the
abdomen) is sometimes made during the surgery. Stomas are usually
temporary, while the bowel
heals, but some people have them permanently. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy
is nearly always
used in addition to surgery. Sometimes bowel cancer cannot be cured. In
this case the symptoms
can still be treated using radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery and/or
painkilling drugs. Palliative
care services can help people with incurable bowel cancer to live
relatively normal and pain-free
lives. Drinking milk may protect against bowel cancer, suggests a new
study on the dairy-eating
habits of more than half a million people.
Bowel cancer is the second most common form of cancer after lung cancer,
and it tends to affect
those in the 50s and 60s. Bowel cancer tends to develop as a result of
hereditary and lifestyle
factors such as excessive alcohol consumption, a diet low in fibre plus a
family history and/or
previous bowel diseases like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
Symptoms: If you are worried about bowel cancer but you don't have a
family history of the
disease there are still warning signs. Bleeding from the rectum, abdominal
pain with a change in
bowel habits, a lump in the abdomen or a lump in the back passage should
all be investigated by a
doctor.
What is “Cancer”
Insurance?
Cancer insurance
provides benefits only if you get cancer. If yes, then Cancer policies
sold today
vary widely in cost and coverage. If you decide to purchase a cancer
insurance policy, contact
different companies and agents, and compare the policies before you buy.
Cancer insurance is
sometimes referred to as a specified disease or dreaded disease policy.
It is also necessary if you
are considering the purchase of cancer insurance or other specified
disease type coverage, it is a
good idea to carefully review your current health insurance policies.
Before going for cancer
insurance you should make it clear from agent or company that all
expenses will be covered by
policy or only hospital costs will be bared by cancer insurance policy.
Many cancer insurance
policies have fixed cost limits. Cancer insurance is not a substitute for
comprehensive coverage. |
