What are the methods to determine whether it is rectal cancer

There is a lot of professional medical knowledge that we don’t actually know. We know nothing about the diagnosis methods of rectal cancer and have no idea how it works. Let’s learn some knowledge about the diagnosis methods of rectal cancer.

Introducing the common diagnostic methods for rectal cancer:

1. Carcinoembryonic antigen determination: Carcinoembryonic antigen determination has been widely carried out and is generally considered to be valuable for evaluating treatment effects and prognosis. Continuous determination of serum CEA can be used to observe the effects of surgery or chemotherapy. A significant decrease in CEA after surgery or chemotherapy indicates a good treatment effect. If the surgery is not thorough or chemotherapy is ineffective, serum CEA often remains at a high level. If CEA drops to normal after surgery and then rises again, it often indicates tumor recurrence.

2. Barium enema contrast imaging: It helps to understand and exclude multiple cancer foci in the large intestine. The imaging manifestations of rectal cancer are:

① Nodular filling defects, mostly on the inner wall of the rectum, round and smooth or slightly lobed, with local intestinal wall stiffness and concaveness.

② Cauliflower-shaped mass, which is relatively large, has an uneven surface, distinct lobes, a wide base, and a stiff intestinal wall.

③Irregular annular stenosis, stiff tube wall, interrupted mucosa, and clear boundary.

④ Irregular intracavitary niches, such as triangular and long strip shapes, are shallow and have surrounding embankments of uneven width.

⑤ Complete intestinal obstruction or intussusception signs, the proximal part of the obstruction is sometimes difficult to show. It should be noted that barium enema X-ray examination sometimes cannot show rectal lesions, which can easily give people the illusion that there are no lesions.

3. Pathological examination: It is the main basis for the diagnosis of rectal cancer. Since rectal cancer surgery often involves diversion issues, which affects the patient's quality of life, in order to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment, the results of pathological examination must be obtained before or during surgery to guide treatment. Never dig out the anus easily.

4. Rectoscopy: The size, shape and location of the tumor can be observed and tissue can be directly taken for pathological examination.

5. Digital intestinal examination: It is a necessary examination step for diagnosing rectal cancer. About 70%-79% of rectal cancer patients can be found to have a palpable hard and uneven mass through rectal digital examination when they seek medical treatment. In the late stage, a narrow mass in the intestinal cavity can be palpated, and the fixed finger cuff can see turbid pus and blood containing feces.

6. Ultrasound examination: In cases where rectal tumors are found, further intrarectal ultrasound can be performed. This is a non-invasive examination developed in recent years. Its advantage is that it can determine the depth and range of rectal cancer invasion, and it is also valuable in determining whether there is lymph node metastasis. Liver ultrasound is particularly important to prevent missed diagnosis of rectal cancer liver metastasis.

The diagnosis method of rectal cancer is as described above. Although you know some of the principles, you may not be clear about what to do specifically. It doesn’t matter. If you suspect that you have this situation, just seek medical attention in time.