Who Is at risk of Colorectal Cancer?
• What are the side effects of colostomy? • What are the side effects of chemotherapy in treating colon cancer? • What are the side effects of radiotherapy in treating colon cancer? • How can people lower the risk of colon cancer? • How do polyps in the colon relate to colon cancer? • What is the right diet to prevent colon cancer? • What is Ulcerative colitis in colon cancer? • What are the different methods to detect colon cancer? • How is a digital rectal exam done to detect colon cancer? • What is a fecal occult test in detecting colon cancer? • What is Lower GI series in detecting colon cancer? • If the colonoscope detects abnormal growth in my rectum, does that mean I have colon-rectal cancer? • What is biological therapy in treating colon-rectal cancer? • What is radiation therapy treatment? • What is a colon cancer detection test? • What is the EZ DETECT Stool Blood Testing Kit? • What does the stool blood test detect? • How can you carry out a stool blood test? • What should I
The exact causes of colorectal cancer are not known. Studies show that the following risk factors increase a persons chances of developing colorectal cancer: • Age: Colorectal cancer is more likely to occur as people get older. This disease is more common in people over the age of 50. However, colorectal cancer can occur at younger ages, even, in rare cases, in the teens. • Lifestyle factors: Colorectal cancer seems to be associated with low levels of physical activity, excess weight, and low intake of vegetables. There is accumulating evidence that long term smoking increases risk. • Polyps: Polyps are benign growths on the inner wall of the colon and rectum. They are fairly common in people over age 50. Some types of polyps increase a persons risk of developing colorectal cancer. • A rare, inherited condition called familial polyposis, causes hundreds of polyps to form in the colon and rectum. Unless this condition is treated, familial polyposis is almost certain to lead to colorecta
Although colorectal cancer may occur at any age, more than 90% -95% of these tumours occur in people over the age of 40. The risk increases with age; most people diagnosed with the disease are in their 60’s or 70’s. Certain factors are associated with higher risks including personal history of breast, uterine or ovarian cancer; inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative or Crohn’s colitis) or a family history of polyps or colorectal cancer. HOW DOES IT START? Most colon and rectal cancers develop from a single cell or group of cells in the lining of the bowel. These cells start to multiply and grow into a non-cancerous (benign) growth called a polyp. Polyps appear as elevations or projections on the lining of the bowel wall some are on a stalk rather like a mushroom. The change of a benign polyp into a cancerous tumour appears to be associated with changes or mutations in the genes that control each cell.These changes may be inherited or may occur spontaneously. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? Many
We are all at risk of developing colorectal cancer. Over 75% of patients who get colorectal cancer have no identifiable risk factors. They are a group of patients called average risk. The remainder of patients either has a personal history of colorectal polyps or cancer, ulcerative or Crohn’s colitis, or a strong family history of colorectal cancer. These patients are at moderate to high risk. When we say a strong family history we mean a family that contains multiple relatives or first-degree relatives (parent, brother/sister, or child) with colorectal cancer. The risk is particularly strong if the first degree relative with cancer was less than age 50. Colorectal cancer screening to detect cancers and precancerous adenomatous polyps in average risk patients is encouraged by at least three expert groups. All screening options are not acceptable for patients with symptoms that could be consistent with colorectal cancer or patients at moderate or high risk. Symptoms of colorectal cancer
