Maintaining health is in part about spotting early signs of illness, and this one strikes both men and women hard.
Maintaining health is in part about spotting early signs of illness, and this one strikes both men and women hard.
Surgical resection is required for earlier stages if it is determined that surgery can still be beneficial and be performed. Depending on the stage and characteristics of the cancer, chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be required. For late stage, which has spread widely to other organs and not amenable to surgery, the mainstay of treatment is chemotherapy. There are many chemotherapeutic drugs that are useful for treatment and these include some newer molecular targeted agents.
It is not clear at this time if there is a definite effect of fibers on colorectal cancer prevention and if so, how significant it is. In general, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and vigilance in watching for the early signs is important. For most people, a screening test for colorectal cancer is recommended starting at the age of 50. This may a include colonoscopy or fecal occult blood test. People with a higher risk, like those with first-degree relatives who had it before the age of 60, may need to start screening earlier.
