What causes colorectal cancer?
• There is no one cause of colorectal cancer. There are risk factors that may increase your risk of colorectal cancer, such as: • Age: 93% of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer are over the age of 50. • Living with inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease). • Strong family history such as 2 close family members (mother/father, sister/brother, son / daughter) who had colorectal cancer or one close family member who had colorectal cancer before age 60. • Other factors such as being overweight, lack of exercise, and a diet low in fiber and high in red meat. • Some people who develop colorectal cancer do not have any of these risk factors.
The exact cause is hard to pinpoint. However, it is known that tiny protruding growths called polyps sometimes form on the inner surface of your colon or rectum. They are not cancerous to start with and some may never become cancer. But over a period of years, the slow growing polyp can become a malignant cancerous tumour.
