To better understand what colon cancer is…we will dig deeper for its definition, causes and symptoms. Colon is the last part of the digestive system. It is a tube shaped organ approximately 4 feet long. It extracts water and salt from human waste before eliminating it from our bodies. It plays an important role in our digestive system. The colon has 3 major functions, and these are: (1) it absorbs and digests nutrients from food, (2) It concentrates fecal material and (3) it stores and eliminates fecal material. The right side of your colon is responsible in absorbing water and electrolytes while the left side is accountable for storing and eliminating of stool.
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, both in men or women. According to statistics, every year, there are more than 50,000 men and women that from colorectal cancer or most commonly known as colon cancer. Doctors consider colon and rectum cancer (colorectal cancer) as one, but other experts treat each cancer separately. About 110,000 men and women are diagnosed with colon cancer plus 40,000 for rectum cancer, which makes 150,000 new cases for this type of cancer.
There are several causes of colon cancer.
(1) Age- this is the number one risk factor. It usually occurs at the age of 40.
(2) Diabetes- 40% of people that have diabetes can acquire this kind if cancer.
(3) Family medical History- colon cancer cannot be inherited.
(4) Gender- studies states that men are more prone to colon cancer.
(5) Environment- research shows that the place you live, who’s around you, your work may influence the risk of having a colon cancer.
(6) Alcohol- it depends on what kind of alcohol you are drinking. Some studies prove that drinking alcohol lowers the risk of colorectal cancer but some also show that it increases the risk of colon cancer.
(7) Smoking- long term cigarette smoking can increase the risk of having a colon cancer.
Some signs that a person has a colorectal cancer are changes in bowel movements, abrupt weight loss, abdominal discomfort, blood in the fecal and anemia. If colon cancer is detected at an early stage, some treatments can be done. Early colon cancer is curable in early stage and surgery is the best method of treatment.
