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Colon cancer includes the mutation of cells in the large bowel as well as in the rectum, and it is detecte… More
Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine (colon). According to the American Cancer Society, colon can… More
Colon cancer can be caused by a family history of colon problems, a poor diet and obesity, but these are u… More
The colon, also known as the large intestine, is an important portion of the human digestive system. The c… More
Preventing colon cancer requires getting regular screenings, eating a healthy, fiber-rich diet and avoidin… More
The stages of colon cancer range from stage one, where there are no lymph nodes involved, all the way up t… More
Colon detoxification is a health craze that has yet to be confirmed as an effective treatment by medical s… More
Natural colon cleansing foods, such as romaine lettuce, have plenty of roughage, vitamins and minerals, so… More
The human colon, also called the large intestine, is the lower portion of the digestive system. The colon … More
Vegetables that are good for cleansing the colon include any kind of raw vegetable because they are high i… More
Summary: Colon cancer includes the mutation of cells in the large bowel as well as in the rectum, and it is detected through routine colonoscopies. Learn about this cancer that affects 150,000 Americans each year with helpful information from an oncology specialist and assistant professor of medicine in this free video on cancer.
Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardtis a leading expert on colonoscopy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass.read more
"Colon and colorectal cancer. So, colorectal cancer includes cancers both of the colon and the rectum. The colon is your large bowel. Your rectum is the end of your large bowel. It traverses across your body from the left side to the right side. It's after your small intestine. And it's main function is to help continue processing waste as well as actually reabsorb water in the food that you ate. About 150,000 people will develop a cancer in their colon or rectum a year in the United States. The reason for someone developing a cancer is that something changed in some of the lining cells of the colon that caused them to mutate, or some gene caused a little change, where the cell's not acting like it normally started. And so, that mutation over time can develop into a polyp. Polyps are precursors to colon cancer. Not all polyps become a cancer, but a fair portion will, which is again why screening colonoscopies are helpful. Because if you remove a polyp before it becomes a cancer, then you prevent the patient from getting colorectal cancer. And, over time, if a polyp becomes a cancer, then it has the potential to spread. So, what we also know, is that from the time one cell becomes abnormal in the colon to the time someone has a cancer is somewhere between five and ten years. It doesn't mean that if you are diagnosed with colorectal cancer five years ago, if someone did a colonoscopy, they would necessarily see something. It's just an individual cell becoming abnormal, then it becomes a polyp and some polyps over time, over several years, then can develop to a cancer. But from the first change to the time you actually have a cancer is probably about five to ten years."
eHow Article: About Colon Cancer
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