According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer, or colon cancer is one of the chief causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States.  About 112,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer annually.  The good thing is that if diagnosis starts early on, there is a higher chance of complete recovery and cure.  In order to prevent from becoming part of the statistic, make sure that you are aware of the symptoms of colon cancer, so you can detect the condition earlier and increase chances of recovery.

What is colon cancer?

Colon cancer is the cancer of the colon or large intestine, which is in the lower part of your digestive system.  Rectal cancer, on the other hand, is cancer of the last six inches of your colon.  Together they can be named as colorectal cancer.

How do they develop?

Most colon cancers are thought to arise from small clumps of cells called adenomatous polyps.  Originally, these polyps are benign and non-cancerous but can develop into cancerous cells over time.

These polyps are small and may cause a few, and even no symptoms at all.  This what makes colon cancer so different to detect without regular screening tests.  If symptoms do occur, it usually involves the following:

·    A change in bowel habits, including diarrhea, constipation, or inconsistent stool for more than two weeks.
·    Change in quality of stool
·    A presence of blood in your stool or rectal bleeding
·    Stools with mucus
·    Constant abdominal discomfort such as cramps, gas or pain
·    Abdominal pain with bowel movement
·    Feeling that bowel doesn’t empty completely
·    Weakness or fatigue
·    Unexplainable weight loss

Are you in risk of getting colon cancer?

There are certain factors that increase a person’s risk of acquiring colon cancer.
Some include:

·    Age - the risk of developing colon cancer increases with age.
·    Polyps of the Colon – the removal of colon polyps during colonoscopy reduces the risk of colon cancer
·    History of Cancer – individuals who have had colon cancer in the past or women who have had breast, ovary and uterus cancer are more prone to developing colon cancer
·    Heredity – having a family history of colon cancer increases risk of acquiring disease
·    Long Standing Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s disease of the colon
·    Smoking – smokers are more susceptible to die from colon cancer than non-smokers
·    Diet – A diet high in red meat and low in fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and poultry increases the risk of colon cancer
·    Physical Inactivity – physically active individuals are at a lower risk of colon cancer

Knowing how at risk you are for colon cancer helps you decide in taking regular screening tests.  Such screening tests are helpful in this case since there are almost no symptoms in some cases of colon cancer.  That is why early detection is indeed very important to achieve complete cure.