SUNDAY, Jan. 26, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Colorectal cancer -- or cancer that begins in either the colon or the rectum -- is the second-leading cancer killer in the United States.
Like so many cancers, this disease has both a genetic and a lifestyle component. Here are some common risk factors:
- If you have parents or siblings who have had colorectal cancer, you are more likely to develop it yourself.
- Women who have had ovarian, uterine or breast cancer are also at a higher risk, as are men and women who have already had colorectal cancer.
- Although research continues into possible behavioral factors, diets that are high in fat and calories and low in fiber seem to be likely culprits.
- The disease is much more common in people over the age of 50.
The good news is that the disease is almost entirely preventable.
Most colon or rectal cancers start as small polyps, or benign growths on the inner wall of the colon and rectum. Detecting and removing these polyps soon after they appear can prevent most cases of colorectal cancer.
Talk to your doctor about a regular screening program. In general, the American Cancer Society recommends that screening start at age 50.
People have different options, but the one preferred by the cancer society is a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) once a year and flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years. You could also opt to have a colonoscopy every 10 years. A sigmoidoscope is a lighted tube about the thickness of a finger that's inserted into the lower colon via the rectum. A colonoscope is basically a longer sigmoidoscope.
More information
For more on colorectal cancer, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
