health

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), about 112,000 people
are diagnosed with colon cancer annually; about 41,000 new cases of rectal
cancer are diagnosed each year; and about 57,000 persons die each year
from colorectal cancer. According to the World Health Organization
(WHO) there are about 940,000 new cases of and 500,000 deaths from
colorectal cancer reported worldwide each year.
Colorectal cancer is most common in older adults; the average age at
the time of diagnosis is 72. Colon cancer in teenagers or young adults is
unusual. Rates are equal for men and women. African Americans appear
to have higher rates of colon cancer than members of other racial groups
in the United States, but the reasons are unclear.

The lifetime risk of developing colon cancer in the United States
is about 7 percent. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute
have identified several factors that increase a person’s risk of colon
cancer:

• Age over 50.
  
• A family history of colorectal cancer. Parents, siblings, or children
  of a person diagnosed with colon cancer have an increased
  risk of developing it, particularly if the relative was diagnosed at
  a young age.
  
• Having either of two specific genes that increase the risk of colon
  cancer. These genes are associated with 3 percent of all colon cancers,
  and can lead to colon cancer by age forty. They can be
  detected by genetic testing.
  
• In women, a personal history of breast cancer.
  
• A history of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
  
• A history of polyps in the colon or rectum. Polyps are growths that
  develop along the inner wall of the colon or rectum, most often in
  people over fifty. Most are benign (not cancerous), but some may
  develop into cancerous tumors.
• A diet high in fat and low in fiber.
  
• A history of heavy smoking or alcohol consumption.
  
• Obesity and diabetes.
  
• Gigantism and other disorders involving growth hormone.
  
• Previous radiation treatment for cancers elsewhere in the
  abdomen.