What is colon cancer?
Colon cancer, also referred to as colorectal cancer, is the second leading cause of cancer related death in the United States. Colon cancer affects 6% of the population in the United States and the American Cancer Society reports 57,000 colon cancer related deaths per year. Both men and women are at risk. Colon cancer is the most preventable cancer because it ordinarily develops from pre-cancerous polyps in the colon which can be easily screened. With early screening, pre-cancerous polyps can be removed before becoming cancerous. On average, abnormal growths in the colon follow a sequence of development from pre-cancerous polyps to cancerous polyps over a period of 7-10 years. For more information on colon cancer ask your primary care provider or visit the American Cancer Society website.
A. Colon cancer is the term commonly used to describe colo-rectal (or bowel) cancer. The colon is part of the intestines. These consist of the small intestine (the section between the stomach and the appendix) and the large intestine (from the appendix to the anus). The large intestine is divided into the long colon and a short rectum, just before the anus. Two thirds of these cancers occur in the colon and one third in the rectum, with very few in the small intestine.
