Update and interesting articles

[chrisca]

I'm now in my fourth year post-surgery with no evidence of recurrence, having just finished a CT scan. The LAR syndrome is unfortunately still an issue, and I deal with it every day. I do hope someone will come up with a way to reduce it. It does seem that doctors are focused on taking out the cancer, but not enough on making life afterward more livable.

Some interesting recent articles worth reading:
A new noninvasive stool test called Cologuard is now available that improves detection rates.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-approve ... on-cancer/

Real lives: Illustrator Matilda Tristram's comic approach to cancer
Tristram suffered from rectal bleeding and stomach pains prior to pregnancy, her GP called it "irritable bowel" and didn't do any further tests. After she got pregnant, she ended up in the ER with a bowel blockage and cancer diagnosis after she insisted on an MRI. My case has some striking similarities, as I was told to ignore the bleeding because the colonoscopy didn't find anything abnormal (though a tumor was present). There are a lot of doctors in denial about colorectal cancer symptoms. It's sad that patients need to fight to get enough tests done to get a diagnosis and treatment before it's too late.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/art ... ancer.html

There may be a grain of truth in the saying that sugar feeds cancer cells. A recent article in Science News indicates that gut microbes exposed to high levels of carbohydrates encourage changes in the gut lining that enhance the growth of cells with poor DNA repair and precancerous characteristics.
Carbs and gut microbes fuel colon cancer
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/car ... lon-cancer

Time to start a low-carb diet.