Colon cancer is a common malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract that occurs in the colon. In the advanced stages of colon cancer, the metastasis of cancer cells leads to a decrease in intestinal absorption capacity and the secondary problem of intestinal obstruction. The symptoms of intestinal obstruction seriously affect the nutritional absorption and quality of life of patients, and is a phenomenon that needs to be urgently corrected in colon cancer.
There are three ways to improve intestinal obstruction:
1. Improving primary colon cancer
For patients with advanced colon cancer, it makes little sense to try to treat colon cancer completely through surgical methods, and most cases are treated with radiation and chemotherapy to avoid adding to the body’s burden. If you can reduce the size of the tumor and its obstructive effect on the intestine through therapeutic means, you can partially improve bowel obstruction.
2. Symptomatic treatment of intestinal obstruction
The main methods of treatment for intestinal obstruction are basic therapy and surgery. Basic therapy, which involves fasting and gastrointestinal decompression, intravenous fluids to correct water and electrolyte disturbances and acid-base imbalance, and to prevent infection and toxemia, is indicated for simple intestinal obstruction of a less severe degree. If the intestinal obstruction is severe, or if there is adhesive intestinal obstruction due to colon cancer, then surgical removal of the morbidly necrotic intestinal canal and an abdominal fistula to maintain excretion and a normal environment in the intestine are necessary.
3. Proper diet
Patients with colon cancer combined with intestinal obstruction have severely reduced intestinal absorption, which is not conducive to metabolizing substances that are not easily digested and absorbed. At this time, it is necessary to make reasonable dietary arrangements to meet the strong need of cancer cachexia for nutrients, but also to minimize the burden on the gastrointestinal tract so as not to aggravate the symptoms. The patient’s diet should be light, with more fresh vegetables, and a reasonable mix of diet that can be supplemented with both intravenous nutrient supply.
Summary
Intestinal obstruction is most often seen in the end-stage of colon cancer, and the main goal of therapeutic interventions at this stage is to prolong survival and improve quality of life. Therefore, if the symptoms are not critical, it is recommended to reduce the gastrointestinal burden with a reasonable diet and combine with Chinese medicine treatment to improve the end-stage weakness. Once an acute reaction occurs, the patient should seek medical attention and surgical treatment at the first time to avoid serious consequences of intestinal obstruction. Patients and family members should understand the law of disease development and regression and establish a correct concept of life and death to reduce the psychological burden and face the disease correctly.