Colorectal cancer (patient information)

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What is Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is a very common cancer in United States. It includes cancer of the colon or rectum. Symptoms can include general abdominal discomfort, abdominal pain, blood in the stool, narrower stools and a change in bowel habits. However, you may not have symptoms at first, so screening is important. If you are caught early, you may often curable. Treatments for colorectal cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination.

How do I know if I have "Colorectal cancer" and What are the Symptoms of "Colorectal cancer"?

Early colorectal cancer does not make any symptoms. When the cancer grows larger, People with colorectal cancer may experience the following symptoms.

• Changes in bowel habits such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days

• Cramping, abdominal pain and abdominal distention

• Rectal bleeding, dark stools, or blood in the stool

• Weakness and fatigue

Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

How "Colorectal cancer" Is Spread and Who is at Risk for "Colorectal cancer"?

There are some factors may increase the risk of acquiring the colorectal cancer potentially. These risk factors are outlined in the table below:

• Colorectal polyps: Person with a history of adenomatous polyps (adenomas) is at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, especially with large or many of them.

• Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease: Clinical surveys has show the close relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.

• Family history of colorectal cancer: The reasons are not clear in all cases. Inherited genes, shared environmental factors and some combination of these may contribute to the development of colorectal cancer.

• Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP): FAP is caused by changes (mutations) in the APC gene that a person inherits from his or her parents. About 1% of all colorectal cancers are due to FAP.

• Hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC): Clinical survey suggest that the lifetime risk of colorectal cancer in people with this condition may be as high as 70% to 80%.

• Turcot syndrome: This is a rare inherited condition in which people are at increased risk of adenomatous polyps and colorectal cancer.

• Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: People with this syndrome are at greatly increased risk for multiple kind of cancer besides colorectal cancer.

• Type 2 diabetes: Clinical data show that people with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer.

• Lifestyle-related factors such as diets high in red meats and poor in vegetables and fruits, physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol abuse, obesity and so on.

• Racial and ethnic background: Among all racial groups in the United States, African Americans have the highest incidence and mortality rates to develope colorectal cancer. The reason is not yet clear.

• Age: Both youth and aged can develop colorectal cancer. But the chances increase markedly after age 50.

Where to find Medical Care for "Colorectal cancer"

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