Large Intestine Cancer: Facts and Information

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 2 Apr 2009 - Updated: 29 Jan 2023

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

Large Intestine Cancer forms in the tissues of the colon most colon cancers are adenocarcinomas.

Overview

Alternate Names: Colon Cancer, Colon Carcinoma, Colorectal Cancer, Colorectal Carcinoma, Rectal Cancer, Rectal Carcinoma, Large Bowel Cancer, Large Bowel Carcinoma, Large Intestine Adenocarinoma.

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has included Large Intestine Cancer with distant metastasis or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent, as a Compassionate Allowance to expedite a disability claim.

Large Intestine Cancer forms in the tissues of the colon. Most colon cancers are adenocarcinomas. When large intestine adenocarcinoma spreads outside the colon or rectum, cancer cells are often found in nearby lymph nodes. Cancer cells may spread to other lymph nodes or organs if cancer cells have reached these nodes. Large intestine adenocarcinoma (cancer) cells are most often applied to the liver.

Large intestine adenocarcinoma (cancer) is more likely to occur as people age. More than 90% of people with this disease are diagnosed after age 50, and the average age at diagnosis is 72.

The following may be used to diagnose the disease:

• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)
• Sigmoidoscopy
• Colonoscopy
• Double-contrast barium enema
• Digital rectal exam

The following tests and procedures may be used to determine if the Large intestine adenocarcinoma has spread: CT scan, lymph node biopsy, complete blood count, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) assay, MRI, and surgery.

Large intestine adenocarcinoma (colon cancer) is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. If the cancer is inoperable or unresectable, radiation or chemotherapy can be used for palliation, but the prognosis is poor.

Inoperable or unresectable large intestine adenocarcinoma may progress locally and cause intestinal obstruction, uncontrolled GI bleeding, and severe pain from invasion into the sacral nerve plexus.

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.