(HealthDay News) -- Although the exact cause of colon cancer isn't understood, scientists have figured out certain factors that increase a person's risk of developing the disease.
The National Cancer Institute mentions these risk factors for colon cancer:
- Being 50 or older.
- Having colorectal polyps -- typically non-cancerous growths that develop on the colon's inner wall.
- Having other people in your family who have had colorectal cancer, or having had cancer yourself.
- Having certain genetic abnormalities.
- Being a smoker.
- Eating a high-fat diet.
- Having Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
