Colon cancer can cause intestinal obstruction

Colon cancer refers to malignant lesions of the colon mucosal epithelium caused by a variety of carcinogenic factors such as the environment or genetics. It generally has a good prognosis, with a five-year survival rate of more than 50% after radical surgery. However, if it is not effectively treated, colon cancer can cause intestinal obstruction or even intestinal perforation.

This is caused by the intestinal mass of patients with colon cancer being filled, the intestinal tube itself being strangulated, or adhesions and compression outside the intestinal cavity. Most of them can be manifested as slowly progressing incomplete intestinal obstruction. Patients with early obstruction experience chronic abdominal pain accompanied by abdominal distension and constipation. They can still eat, but the symptoms worsen after eating.

Most patients with colon cancer who have intestinal obstruction can have their symptoms relieved after treatment with laxatives, colon cleansing, Chinese medicine, etc., but long-term repeated attacks can lead to complete obstruction, and some patients may also present with acute intestinal obstruction. It should be noted that more than half of the elderly patients with acute colon obstruction are caused by colon cancer.

When complete colon obstruction occurs, closed loop intestinal obstruction will occur because the ileocecal valve blocks the colon contents from flowing back into the ileum, causing the colon from the cecum to the obstruction site to expand extremely, and the intra-intestinal pressure continues to increase, rapidly developing into strangulated intestinal obstruction, and even intestinal necrosis and perforation, secondary peritonitis, etc.

In addition, if the tumor is located in the cecum, transverse colon, or sigmoid colon, vigorous intestinal peristalsis may lead to intussusception.