Colon Cancer Center - Billerica, MA
Billerica Oncologist Doctors for Colon CancerType of Physician: Oncologist What is a Oncologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; the oncologist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer and other benign and malignant tumors. These subspecialists decide on and administer chemotherapy as well as consult with surgeons and radiotherapists on other treatment for cancer. Specialty: Oncology (Medical) Common Name: Cancer Doctor Oncologist Doctors in Billerica * Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Cambridge  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Hematology Oncology  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Psychosocial Oncology  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Women's Cancer Center  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Kenneth Anderson MD  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Gynecology Oncology Program  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Breast & Gynecologic  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Gynecology Oncology Program  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Gastroenterologic Oncology  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Breast & Gynecologic  Dana Farber  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Womens Cancer Center  Dana Farber Harvard Cancer Center  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Head & Neck Oncology  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Hematology/Oncology  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Women's Cancer Center  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Medical Hematology/Oncology  Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology Program  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Hematology/Oncology  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Womens Cancer Center  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Gynecology Oncology Program  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Medical Oncology  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Hematology Oncology  Dana Farber Cancer Institute  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Hematology/Oncology  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Breast & Gynecologic  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Hematology/Oncology  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Medical Hematology/Oncology  Edwin Alyea MD  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Thoracic Oncology  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Women's Cancer Center  Dana Farber Cancer Institute  Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Womens Cancer Center  Massachusetts General Hospital Oncology  MGH Bone Marrow Transplant Program  MGH Pappas Center for Neuro Oncology  MGH Cancer Center Chairman  MGH Pappas Center for Neuro Oncology  MGH Bone Marrow Transplant Program  MA Eye & Ear Infirmary Retinopathy Services  MGH Orthopaedic Oncology  MGH Orthopaedic Oncology  MGH Bone Marrow Transplant Program  MGH Pappas Center for Neuro Oncology  MGH Orthopaedic Oncology  MGH Orthopaedic Oncology  MGH Bone Marrow Transplant Program  Mass General North Shore Cancer Center  Commonwealth Oncology  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Drs Murray & Glynn MD PC  Northampton Internal Medicine  Robert Byrne MD Billerica, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-05-26
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Colon CancerRead the Colon Cancer article » What is cancer?Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases. They affect the body's basic unit, the cell. Cancer occurs when cells become abnormal and divide without control or order. Like all other organs of the body, the colon and rectum are made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells divide to produce more cells only when the body needs them. This orderly process helps keep us healthy. If cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed, a mass of tissue forms. This mass of extra tissue, called a growth or tumor, can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors are not cancer. They can usually be removed and, in most cases, they do not come back. Most important, cells from benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumors are rarely a threat to life. Malignant tumors are cancer. Cancer cells can invade and damage tissues and organs near the tumor. Also, cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. This is how cancer spreads from the original (primary) tumor to form new tumors in other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is called metastasis. When cancer spreads to another part of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor. For example, if colon cancer spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the liver are colon cancer cells. The disease is metastatic colon cancer (it is not liver cancer).
What is cancer of the colon and rectum?The colon is the part of the digestive system where the waste material is stored. The rectum is the end of the colon adjacent to the anus. Together, they form a long, muscular tube called the large intestine (also known as the large bowel). Tumors of the colon and rectum are growths arising from the inner wall of the large intestine. Benign tumors of the large intestine are called polyps. Malig... Recommended Reading Related to Colon CancerWhat is colonoscopy?Colonoscopy is a procedure that enables an examiner (usually a gastroenterologist) to evaluate the appearance of the inside of the colon (large bowel). This is accomplished by inserting a long flexible tube (the colonoscope) that is about the thickness of a finger into the anus and then advancing the colonoscope slowly into the rectum and through the colon. The tip of the colonoscope has a light and a video camera. The inner colon lining can be directly visualized in images transmitted from the camera to a television monitor. This traditional method of examination of the colon is called optical colonoscopy. In preparation for colonoscopy, the day before the examination the colon is emptied using laxatives. Immediately prior to colonoscopy, an intravenous infusion (IV) is started, and the patient is placed on a monitor for continuously monitoring the rhythm of the heart, blood pressure, and the amount of oxygen in the blo... Other Related Colon Cancer ArticlesEmergency Contact for Billerica
Nearby Billerica Hospitals *Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital Tewksbury Hospital Lahey Clinic Medical Center Saints Medical Center HC Solomon Mental Health Center Lowell General Hospital Emerson Hospital HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital Isham Health Center Winchester Hospital McLean Hospital Lawrence General Hospital Lawrence Memorial Hospital Melrose Wakefield Hospital Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Somerville Hospital Mount Auburn Hospital Northeast Rehabilitation Health Network North Shore Medical Center Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Cambridge Hospital Whidden Memorial Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children Newton Wellesley Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston Nashoba Valley Medical Center Arbour HRI Hospital Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital M I T Medical Baldpate Hospital Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Southern New Hampshire Medical Center Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Brigham & Women's Hospital St Joseph Hospital Tufts New England Medical Center New England Baptist Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Merrimack Valley Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Haverhill Boston Medical Center Salem Hospital & the Birthplace Arbour Hospital North Shore Children's Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital  Bournewood Hospital  Faulkner Hospital  Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged  Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham  Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick  MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital  Beverly Hospital  Lemuel Shattuck Hospital  Massachusetts Mental Health Center  VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus  UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital  MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital  Caritas Carney Hospital  Hampstead Hospital  Parkland Medical Center  Milton Hospital  UMass Memorial Clinton Hospital  Westwood Lodge Hospital  Quincy Medical Center  Westborough State Hospital  Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough  HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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Abdominal Pain
- Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
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Rectal Bleeding (Blood in Stool, Hematochezia)
- Rectal bleeding (hematochezia) refers to the passage of bright red blood from the anus. Rectal bleeding may be moderate to severe and most bleeding comes from the colon, rectum, or anus. Common causes include anal fissures, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and more.
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Swollen Lymph Nodes
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Constipation
- Constipation is defined medically as fewer than three stools per week and severe constipation as less than one stool per week. Constipation usually is caused by the slow movement of stool through the colon. There are many causes of constipation including medications, poor bowel habits, low fiber diets, abuse of laxatives, hormonal disorders, and diseases primarily of other parts of the body that also affect the colon.
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Uterine Cancer
- Though uterine cancer's cause is unknown, there are many factors that will put a woman at risk, including: over age 50, endometrial hyperplasia, using hormone replacement therapy, obesity, using tamoxifen, being Caucasian, having colorectal cancer. Symptoms of cancer of the uterus (endometrial cancer) include abnormal vaginal bleeding, painful urination, painful intercourse, and pelvic pain. Treatment depends on staging and may include radiation therapy or hormone therapy.
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Ulcerative Colitis
- Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the colon. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. Ulcerative colitis is closely related to Crohn's disease, and together they are referred to as inflammatory bowel disease. Treatment depends upon the type of ulcerative colitis diagnosed.
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Ascites
- Ascites, the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity is most commonly caused by cirrhosis of the liver. Some of the other causes of ascites include portal hypertension, congestive heart failure, blood clots, and pancreatitis. The most common symptoms include increased abdominal girth and size, abdominal bloating, and abdominal pain. Treatment depends on the cause of ascites.
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Colitis
- Inflammation of the inner lining of the colon is referred to as colitis. Symptoms of the inflammation of the colon lining include diarrhea, pain, and blood in the stool. There are several causes of colitis including infection, ischemia of the colon, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, or microscopic colitis). Treatment depends on the cause of the colitis.
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Anal Cancer
- Anal cancer, cancer located at the end of the large intestine, has symptoms that include anal or rectal bleeding, anal pain or pressure, anal discharge or itching, a change in bowel movements, and/or a lump in the anal region. Treatment for anal cancer may involve radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery and depends upon the stage of the cancer, its location, whether cancer is eradicated after the first treatment, and whether the patient has HIV.
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Colon Polyps
- A colon polyp is a benign tumor of the large intestine. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. Benign polyps can easily be removed during colonoscopy and are not life threatening. If benign polyps are not removed from the large intestine, they can become malignant over time.
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Cancer
- Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
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Cancer Risk Factors
- Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
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The Digestive System
- Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
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Melanosis Coli
- Melanosis coli is a condition that is often associated with prolonged laxative use.
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Gardner's Syndrome (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis)
- Gardners' syndrome, or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), is an inherited condition in which cancer of the colon and rectum develop. Colon polyps and growths may develop as early as the teens. If these polyps are not removed, they will become cancerous. There are different inheritance patterns for familial adenomatous polyposis.
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Genetic Counseling
- Your health care provider may refer you to a genetic professional. Universities and medical centers also often have affiliated genetic professionals, or can provide referrals to a genetic professional or genetics clinic. Genetic counseling provides patients and family members the tools to make the right choice in regard to test for a disease or condition.
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Caregiving
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Colon Cancer Prevention
- Colo-rectal cancer is both curable and preventable if it is detected early and completely removed before the cancerous cells metastasize to other parts of the body. Colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy (along with digital rectal examination and stool occult blood testing) are both effective at preventing colo-rectal cancers and detecting early colo-rectal cancers.
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Disease Prevention in Women
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Endometrial Cancer Prevention
- Endometrial cancer, or uterine cancer, affects the endometrium of the uterus. It's the most common invasive cancer of the female reproductive system. Risk factors include smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, taking estrogen-only hormone therapy, early menstruation, late menopause, and never being pregnant.
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Disease Prevention in Men
- Disease prevention in men includes routine screening tests that are part of basic prevention medicine. Take an active role in your own health care and discuss screening tests with your doctor early in life. Age of screening and timing of screening depends upon the condition being assessed.
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