All you need to know about colorectal cancer

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, held in March each year, offers a valuable opportunity to educate people about this disease and promote awareness of the importance of colorectal cancer screening, prevention, and treatment. Annually, cancer affects 14.1 million people worldwide. Colorectal cancer, widely known as bowel cancer is the cancer that includes large bowel (colon cancer) and cancer of the back passage (rectal cancer).  Together, they form the lower part of the body’s digestive system.  During digestion, ingested food propels through the stomach and small intestines into the colon. The colon then, absorbs water and nutrients from it and stores the faecal matter. The stool moves from the colon into the rectum before it leaves the body. Almost all colo-rectal cancer starts in the glands which line the colon and the rectum. Nearly all cases begin as non-cancerous (benign) polyps, which slowly develop into cancer. It is the third most common type of cancer in both man and woman in the United States.

Risk factors for colorectal cancer:

Age > 60 years old; African American of Eastern European descendants, high consumptions of red / processed meats; presence of colorectal polyps; cases of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) – Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis; Family history of colonic cancer; personal history of breast cancer; inheritance diseases  like Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (AFP) and Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC)  which is also  known as Lynch Syndrome. Certain life style habits such as been physically inactive leading to obesity, excessive alcohol ingestion and smoking predispose to higher risk of developing this disease.