Colon Cancer: Are You At Risk?

Colon cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men and women in the United States. It is important to understand the risk of developing this disease, as well as the lifestyle changes you can do now to reduce the chances that victims of colon cancer.

Cancer of the colon or large intestine usually begins as small clumps of cells called adenomatous polyps. Often, these small polyps form in your colon and produce few, if any, symptoms. If not removed, they May eventually become cancerous. That is why doctors recommend routine screening to identify and remove polyps before they become a problem.

One of the best ways to prevent death from colon cancer is to have regular screenings. Since more than 90% of all colon cancer in people who are 50 and older, American Cancer Society recommends that you start getting routine colon screening at the age of 50 years. If you have a family history of this disease, your doctor may recommend that you start screening earlier.

Three of the most common screening for colorectal cancer include stool test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. Your doctor will make recommendations about how often you should have these tests administered.

In addition to age, there are other risk factors that may do more susceptible to developing colon cancer. Some of these factors are:

• race
  
• Afro-Americans have a higher risk of developing this disease than people of other races
  
• Family History
  
• Parents, siblings and children of people diagnosed with colon cancer are at higher risk than the average person of developing the disease themselves.
  
• Personal history of polyps or cancer
  
• Inflammatory intestinal conditions
  
• Two of the most common conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
  
• high-fat, low fiber diet
  
• Obesity
  
• sedentary lifestyle
  
• Diabetes
  
• Smoking
  
• Smoking ...
  
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• Heavy alcohol use

While some of these risk factors, such as race and age, can not change, there are some lifestyle changes you can do to lessen the chance of developing this type of cancer. Keep in mind that just because you have one or more of these risks, it does not mean you will develop colon cancer. You should talk to your doctor about these risk factors, so that he or she can provide adequate review and give you suggestions for a healthy lifestyle.

The good news is that colon cancer is often very treatable.Ključ for survival is identifying and removing polyps early, before they turn into cancer. Those patients whose cancer was detected early, before they spread, they have a very high 5-year survival. With more awareness about colon cancer screening, the mortality rate from this disease continues to decline.