Using Chest Imaging Early Monitoring Can Help People With Colorectal Cancer
The latest news hit the internet describing a new point that chest imaging positively helps colorectal cancer patients by identifying the spread of cancer to the lungs. The Scientific Forum of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) shared this information which was presented by a team of experts recently.
The reports highlight the point that the more frequent chest imaging is done in Colorectal cancer patients, the more will be the chance for the medical team to target the growth and spread of cancer swiftly spread to the lung area.
What Is Colorectal Cancer?
Colorectal cancer which is also known as colon cancer or rectal cancer is a disease found in the colon or the rectum. This cancer is dreadful and can cause the cells in the colon or rectum to grow abnormally.
Many surveys have reported colorectal cancer as the third leading death cause in the United States. The treatment depends cleanly depends upon the growth size and location of cancer in the body.
Colorectal cancer can be removed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. These therapies include the removal of cancerous lung nodules surgically. Those patients diagnosed with this cancer at the early stages can be treated effectively.
Proper treatment at the right time could even help them remain cancer-free. The new findings hold the potential to improve the condition in patients with colorectal cancer.
Previously, the rate at which cancer diagnosis has to be carried out in colorectal cancer patients was not known exactly. As the majority of cancer patients are curious to know when and how many times they need to be present for diagnosis, the authorities were lacking proper information to provide for their patients.
The team of experts even stood barehanded in terms of uniform guidelines to inform their patients on when to be screened for chest imaging. With the evolution of new studies, experts could now figure out a strategy to fix the frequency or intervals of colorectal cancer patients undergoing imaging of their chest to find out the current state of their cancer growth or spread.
The evidence-based surveillance guidelines conclude which colorectal cancer patients can benefit the best from early chest imaging and to what extent they need to undergo this imaging and at what intervals.
The team of experts who have conducted serious studies on chest imaging has grouped patients based on the growth of their lung metastases.
This included thoracic cancer patients and colorectal cancer patients as the respective patient data were collected and reviewed. The team opted for statistical methods to conduct an in-depth study on investigating the risk factors that are directly linked to the development of lung metastases such as age, lifestyle, and genetic composition.
Though these risk factors related to clinical perspective are not necessarily unforeseen, the requirement of frequent chest imaging that helps screen the growth of cancer in colorectal cancer patients after surgical treatment is a matter to appreciate.
The medical team is hopefully looking into this new finding that could surely help the patients treat colorectal cancer effectively and also help in preventing its growth.
The main benefit is that high-risk patients upon their early radiographic screening which is highly recommended to be done periodically could help improve their health condition in a visible positive manner. This timely screening could even result in diagnosing the early stages of pulmonary disease.
The team of experts who have popped up with their new findings is even planning to conduct some future research on formalizing chest surveillance protocols that can be implemented in all clinics. This could even help colorectal cancer patients to monitor and treat their health conditions in a better way.