A risk factor refers to anything which increases a person’s chance of acquiring a certain ailment. Cancers have their specific risk factors as well and just as increased sunlight may be a risk factor for skin cancer, colon cancer has its own specific risk factors. However risk factors do not necessarily indicate certainty. In many instances, colon cancers may develop without any of the known risk factors.
However, medical research has allowed researchers to highlight a number of risk factors for Colon Cancer. These are:
Age : More than 90% of people diagnosed with Colon cancer are above the age of 50. Therefore age is one of the important indicators in determining the presence of Colon Cancer.
Personal history : Any past incidences of Polyp formation are serious risk factors.
Inflammatory Bowel disease: Any personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is also pertinent since the prolonged periods in which the Colon is inflamed may lead to higher probability of Colon Cancer.
Family history : Colon Cancer, like other forms of Cancer, has a higher incidence in people with family history. The risk is significantly higher when a direct family member (parent or sibling) is affected and more than doubles if more than one family member is affected.
Inherited syndromes : Around 5 % of Colon Cancer patients have inherited genes which make them susceptible to the disease. The two most common inherited syndromes are familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HPCC).
Racial and ethnic background : Specific races have higher rates of Colon cancer than others. African Americans have the highest rates of Colon cancer in the US while the Ashkenazi Jews have the one of the highest rates in the world.
Diet : Diet also plays an important role in determining the risk factor for Colon Cancer. A diet rich in red meats and processed meats has been shown to increase the risk factor while diet consisting of fruits and vegetables has proven to decrease the risk of Colon Cancer.
Alcohol Use : Heavy use of alcohol is also an increased risk factor. It is recommended that men not have more than 2 drinks a day and women, not more than 1.
Although there are several other risk factors as well, it is important to note that Colon cancer can develop without any of these present so vigilance is the best precaution.
Senin, 05 Juli 2010
Signs and Symptoms of Colon Cancer
Colon Cancer is an extremely dangerous and difficult to detect form of cancer. It can grow for years without displaying any signs. However, Colon Cancer does display various symptoms and it is necessary for people to go visit a doctor once they see these. Symptoms of Colon Cancer include;
• Constipation; Constipation is the body’s natural mechanism of suggesting a fault in the diet. Colon Cancer can also manifest itself in this form because the tumors can cause significant obstruction in the colon. The solidity of stool makes it difficult for it to pass when this happens.
• Thin Stool; Colon Cancer can also the stool to reshape. The obstruction caused squeezes the stool so that it comes out in a much thinner form than regularly.
• Stomach cramps; The obstruction in Colon also affects the flow of gases from the bowels. The consequent build up of waste material leads to abdominal cramps. A more serious form of stomach cramps is when the cancer perforates through the bowel walls. Such an occurrence is a medical emergency.
• Blood in stool; Tumors tend to bleed. Therefore blood in the stool can be a symptom. If the cancer is at the start of the colon, the blood may be dry but if it’s at the end of the rectum, it turns out bright red.
• Unexplained weight loss; Tumors can also release chemicals which may increase metabolism which results in weight loss. Therefore unexplained weight loss may be a sign of colon cancer.
• Sense of fullness; If the Colon cancer occurs towards the end of the rectum, the body might mistake it for waste and thus a person might still not feel hungry.
• Nausea and vomiting; The harmful gases released by tumors can result in nausea and vomiting as well.
• Anemia; The bleeding caused by tumors results deficiency of iron. This may become acute with time since tumors at the start of Colon may not even be detected as the blood may get dried up before stool leaves the body. Thus anemia may also be a symptom of Colon Cancer.
It should be noted that all these symptoms are only a reference point and may even not be easily identified in the initial stages of Colon Cancer. The best precaution is to get regular check ups.
• Constipation; Constipation is the body’s natural mechanism of suggesting a fault in the diet. Colon Cancer can also manifest itself in this form because the tumors can cause significant obstruction in the colon. The solidity of stool makes it difficult for it to pass when this happens.
• Thin Stool; Colon Cancer can also the stool to reshape. The obstruction caused squeezes the stool so that it comes out in a much thinner form than regularly.
• Stomach cramps; The obstruction in Colon also affects the flow of gases from the bowels. The consequent build up of waste material leads to abdominal cramps. A more serious form of stomach cramps is when the cancer perforates through the bowel walls. Such an occurrence is a medical emergency.
• Blood in stool; Tumors tend to bleed. Therefore blood in the stool can be a symptom. If the cancer is at the start of the colon, the blood may be dry but if it’s at the end of the rectum, it turns out bright red.
• Unexplained weight loss; Tumors can also release chemicals which may increase metabolism which results in weight loss. Therefore unexplained weight loss may be a sign of colon cancer.
• Sense of fullness; If the Colon cancer occurs towards the end of the rectum, the body might mistake it for waste and thus a person might still not feel hungry.
• Nausea and vomiting; The harmful gases released by tumors can result in nausea and vomiting as well.
• Anemia; The bleeding caused by tumors results deficiency of iron. This may become acute with time since tumors at the start of Colon may not even be detected as the blood may get dried up before stool leaves the body. Thus anemia may also be a symptom of Colon Cancer.
It should be noted that all these symptoms are only a reference point and may even not be easily identified in the initial stages of Colon Cancer. The best precaution is to get regular check ups.
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