What is colorectal cancer?
Cancer is a group of diseases in which there is abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. If left untreated, malignant (or cancerous) cells can spread to other parts of the body. “Colorectal” refers to the colon and rectum, which together make up the large intestine. Colorectal cancer can begin anywhere in the large intestine. The majority of colorectal cancers begin as polyps—abnormal growths—inside the colon or rectum that may become cancers over a long period of time.
Cancer is the name for a disease that can affect cells from all the organs and body’s structures and is considered to be life threatening. The colon and rectum are a part of the large intestine and their function is to absorb nutrients and water from the food that passes through the intestine before it goes out of the body. Colorectal cancer is the disease that affects the cells from the colon and rectum creating a malign or benign tumor.
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as colon cancer, is cancer that develops in the colon (large bowel) or the rectum and usually develops slowly over a period of many years. Before a true cancer develops, it usually begins as a non-cancerous polyp, which may eventually change into cancer. A polyp is a growth of tissue that develops on the lining of the colon or rectum. Certain kinds of polyps, called adenomas, are most likely to become cancerous. The only screening method that allows for the removal of polyps BEFORE cancer develops is colonoscopy.
Colorectal (or large bowel) cancer is any cancer that occurs in the large intestine, made up of the colon and the rectum. Nearly all colorectal cancers start as polyps – non-cancerous growths on the inner lining of the bowel. Over time, these polyps can grow larger and some – but not all – may turn cancerous.
