Adenocarcinoma of the Colon

Adenocarcinoma of the Colon

Why the patient presented the described symptoms

Adenocarcinoma of the colon is a type of colorectal cancer that is characterized by abnormal growth of large intestines cells.  The primary function of healthy colon includes reabsorption of fluids and processing elimination of waste products from the body. Therefore, colon cancer affects these normal functions of the large intestines and causes changes in bowel movement habits. Altering the bowel habits in return can cause constipation, cramps, and abdominal pains, which are probably why these were some of the symptoms the patient presented (Huang & McGee 2019). Also, the lack of fiber in the patient’s diet can be explained as another reason why patient-reported constipation as a symptom.  Fiber dietary helps in fighting bloating and constipation by making the stool thicker and more natural to eliminate, and it relives abdominal pain as well by reducing pressure on the abdominal veins. The patient is also under risk of inherited diverticulitis, which is why the pain was explicitly on the left lower quadrant. The high fevers the patient presented could be as a result of the colony cancer spreading to the liver.

Genes associated with the development of the disease

Mutations of inherited DNA genes exposed the patient to developing adenocarcinoma of the colon.  The presence of multiple polyps indicates a possibility of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) syndrome, which is linked to hereditary Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) gene changes (Nallamilli & Hegde 2017). APC is a tumor suppressor gene that prevents abnormal growth of cells. Also, APC can be described as a multi-protein gene bound by several protein domains. However, mutations of the APC gene causes loss of these multi-protein domains required to bind it together. Hence, inactivating the gene’s ability to suppressuncontrollable cell growthand accelerates tumor genesis such as colon cancer. The FAP patient condition may have been caused by changes in the APC gene from the family since his paternal grandfather had died from a reported cancer cause.

Immunosuppression and its effect in the body system

Immunosuppression refers to a pathological process of reducing the efficacy of the immune system. The method of lowering the body’s immune system can be performed deliberately by using immunosuppressant drugs to help the body to accept organ transplant or bone marrow procedures(Nash et al 2017). Immunosuppression can as well be used as a treatment to conditions which the immune system is overreacting to such as allergies and some autoimmune diseases. However, immunosuppression can expose the body to various side effects, the risk of getting an infection being the most vital one. For example, immunosuppression can increase the risk of cancer since it reduces the ability of the body to suppress cancer cells. Other side effects include; nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, and hand trembling, among others. The effects are bound to subside as the body adapts to the immunosuppression process…

Conclusion

In conclusion, colon cancer affects the normal functions of the large intestines and causes changes in bowel movement habits. Altering the bowel habits in return can cause constipation, cramps, and abdominal pains, which are probably why these were some of the symptoms the patient presented.The high fevers the patient presented could be a result of the colony cancer spreading to the liver. The presence of multiple polyps indicates a possibility of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) syndrome, which is linked to hereditary Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) gene changes. Immunosuppression refers to a pathological process of reducing the efficacy of the immune system. It can expose the body to various side effects, the risk of getting an infection being the most vital one.

References

“YouTube.” YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz0wx1-jTds.

Huang, E., & McGee, M. F. (2019).Colon Cancer.In Clinical Algorithms in                        General Surgery (pp. 255-259).Springer, Cham.

Nallamilli, B. R. R., & Hegde, M. (2017).Detecting APC gene mutations in                                                familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Current protocols in human genetics,                                   92(1),10-8.

Nash, R. A., Hutton, G. J., Racke, M. K., Popat, U., Devine, S. M., Steinmiller, K. C. …                           &Stuve, O. (2017). High-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous                    HCT for relapsing-remitting MS. Neurology, 88(9), 842-852.

Patton, K. T., &Thibodeau, G. A. (2018). Anthony’s Textbook of Anatomy &                                               Physiology-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.