Colon Cancer and Ulcerative cancer are mistaken as one another since they have a lot of common symptoms.
The proper diagnosis can be made only by a colonoscopy. While colon cancer is fatal and is better as early as it can be identified, Ulcerative Colitis is not fatal but doesn’t have a cure.
Key Takeaways
- Colon cancer is the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells in the colon, leading to tumors.
- Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease causing inflammation and ulcers in the colon and rectum.
- Symptoms may overlap, but colon cancer can be life-threatening, while ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition that requires management.
Colon Cancer vs Ulcerative Colitis
Colon cancer is a common type of cancer that can lead to serious health complications if not detected and treated early. Risk factors include age, family history, and inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease caused by an abnormal immune response and has no known cure.
Colon cancer is a prevalent type of cancer, and still, there are no measures till now which can prevent it or precisely diagnose it at an early stage apart from colonoscopy.
If it gets severe, it is proven to be fatal and brings down the chances of living for five years to 8 per cent.
Ulcerative cancer has a lot of common symptoms of colon cancer, like fatigue.
It is considered an autoimmune disease that is the immune system after the body attacks itself. It is a lifelong disease that is incurable but at least not fatal.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Colon Cancer | Ulcerative Colitis |
|---|---|---|
| About | Colon cancer is a tumour growth that is abnormal and is present on the wall of the colon. | Ulcerative Colitis is a reaction of the immune system to Candida Albicans proliferation in the colon |
| Symptoms | Narrow stools, fatigue, fluctuation in bowel system, bloated sensation, etc. | Diarrhoea, Tenesmus, rectal bleeding, fatigue, weight loss, Anemia, etc. |
| Causes | Ovarian cancer, family history, Crohn’s disease, etc. | Family history, smoking, low immune system, stress, etc |
| Cure | Colon cancer is fatal, and if it has spread severely to the organs, then the chance of survival for five years lowers to 8%. | Ulcerative Colitis has no cure but is not a fatal disease. |
| Treatment | Surgical removal of tumours, chemotherapy, radiation treatment are some common treatments for colon cancer. | Medication and Surgery depend on the severity of the condition. |
What is Colon Cancer?
Colon cancer is a common disease, and it is the growth of abnormal cells that gradually spreads to other organs of the body.
It is hard to identify it in the early stages; therefore, its chances of becoming fatal increase even more.
Starting like a polyp or growth of an abnormal tumour on the walls of the colon, it gradually grows and, after years, becomes apparent.
It can have minor symptoms that include diarrhoea, changes in bowel systems, constipation, Malena, narrow stools or reduction in faeces, fatigue, unexpected weight loss, and bloating.
Colon cancer causes gripping and acute pain. Colonoscopy is a great way to detect colon cancer at an early stage. It is generated for many known and unknown reasons.
The most common cause of colon cancer is Hereditary, a family history of colon cancer, an ongoing or past case of ovarian cancer, Crohn’s disease, etc. It happens before 40 years of age.
After the detection of colon cancer, if the polyps are few, they can be easily removed during colonoscopy by a method known as polypectomy.
Apart from this, surgical treatments that mean removing the colon part affected by surgery that is further followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatment are also considered for treating colon cancer.
Radiation treatment is brought into work when the surgery does not succeed.
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is a very similar appearing disease to colon cancer; therefore, many times, people mistake it for cancer and vice versa.
Ulcerative colitis is regarded as an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks itself by reacting to the candida Albicans proliferation in the colon.
Its symptoms include Bowel movement, urgency and frequency in Bowel movements which are without or with blood loss, cramps, discomfort in the lower abdomen, fever, appetite loss, weight loss, diarrhoea, lethargy, anaemia, skin rashes, joint pain and problems, kidney problems, liver diseases, fatigue, diarrhoea, etc.
Since it has some of the symptoms that can also be seen in colon cancer, it is common to misjudge it.
It causes a lot of pain that comes in waves in the abdominal region and can be considered abdominal cramps.
Many causes can cause ulcerative colitis, including but not limited to family history, exposure to infectious agents, low immune system, stress, and smoking.
Although once it is diagnosed by colonoscopy, it can be treated with medication or surgery.
It is a mild condition of ulcerative colitis that can be treated with medication, but surgery is the only option to cure it entirely.
Main Differences Between Colon Cancer and Ulcerative Colitis
- Colon cancer tumour grows on the wall of the colon, whereas ulcerative colitis functions the immune system in the colon region.
- Narrow stools, fatigue, and bowel system changes are common symptoms of colon cancer. On the other hand, diarrhoea, fatigue, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and appetite loss are common symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
- In colon cancer, there is gripping and acute pain experienced by the patient, whereas, in ulcerative colitis, pain is experienced as waves in the abdominal region.
- Colon cancer is a fatal disease and cannot be cured if it develops to a severe stage, while ulcerative colitis may not be incredible, but it is not a deadly disease.
- Small cancerous growth called polyps in the colon region can be removed by polypectomy, but surgery is the only option for colon cancer if it increases. Ulcerative colitis can be treated by medication in the primary stage and the best surgery in the higher setting.
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0041797
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001650850300060X
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The article provides an in-depth description of both Colon Cancer and Ulcerative Colitis. The informative tone and the thorough analysis of symptoms, causes and treatment make it a valuable source of knowledge on these diseases.
This article does a great job highlighting the importance of early detection and the differences between these two diseases. It could potentially help people recognize the symptoms earlier and seek medical help. Great work on shedding light on these conditions.
I find the comparison table to be very helpful. Seeing the symptoms, causes, cures and treatments side by side makes it so much easier to understand the differences between these conditions.
This is a very informative article, that explains in depth the differences and similarities of Colon Cancer and Ulcerative Colitis. It is definitely very useful for those that might be confused about whether they’re suffering from one of the diseases.
I must disagree with the statement that colon cancer is uncurable. Many cases have been successfully treated thanks to early detection and medical advancements. It’s important to highlight the hope and benefits that timely diagnosis can provide.
The way this article emphasizes the fatality of colon cancer comes across as a bit exaggerated. Although it’s a serious illness, there are many cases where patients have successfully overcome it. We should also focus on the positive outcomes and encourage others.