Who is at risk for colorectal cancer? What causes it?
No one knows for sure what causes colorectal cancer. But there are certain risk factors that can increase a person’s chances of getting or dying from this type of cancer: • Ethnicity/Race – People of African-American and Hispanic descent are often diagnosed at a later stage of disease and have a higher death rate. • Age – People over the age of 50 tend to get this cancer more often than younger persons do. But, it can happen at any age. • Diet – Colorectal cancer appears to be linked to diets high in fat and calories and low in fiber. Researchers are looking at how diet plays a role in colorectal cancer. • Polyps – are benign (not cancerous) growths on the inner wall of the colon and rectum. Many people over age 50 have polyps. Some types of polyps, called adenomatous polyps, can become cancers. Between 5 and 10% of adenomatous polyps will become cancer if not removed. A rare form of polyps that runs in families, called familial polyposis, almost always becomes cancer. This condition c
