Men and women must educate themselves
about colorectal cancer and its
symptoms and potential risk factors.
Symptoms and risks for colorectal cancer
Caribbean L BQ ife, March 1–7, 2019 31
Health
As men and women know full well,
cancer does not discriminate.
Few and far between are those
whose lives have not been touched by
cancer in one form or another. Be it a
personal battle with the disease or a
connection via a friend, family member,
coworker, or other acquaintance,
nearly everyone can cite someone in
their life who has battled a form of
cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, among cancers
that affect both men and women,
colorectal cancer is the second leading
cause of cancer deaths in the United
States, claiming the lives of more than
50,000 men and women in 2007. In Canada,
a country with roughly one-tenth
the population of the United States,
the Canadian Cancer Society reported
that colorectal cancer was expected to
claim the lives of nearly 9,000 Canadians
in 2011.
Such fi gures illustrate the importance
men and women must place on
educating themselves about colorectal
cancer and its symptoms and potential
risk factors. First, however, it helps to
understand just what colorectal cancer
is and why it is so deadly:
What is colorectal
cancer?
Colorectal cancer is cancer that
starts in either the colon or the rectum,
which make up the large intestine.
Often referred to as colon cancer,
colorectal cancer can begin anywhere
in the large intestine and the majority
of colorectal cancers begin as abnormal
growths called polyps that develop
inside the colon or rectum and become
cancers over a long period of time.
Who gets colorectal
cancer?
Colorectal cancer does not discriminate.
In fact, of the roughly 53,000
cases of colorectal cancers reported
to the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services in 2007, there was
a nearly equal split of cases between
men and women, with men accounting
slightly less than 800 more cases than
women over that time.
Are there known causes
of colorectal cancer?
Despite its prevalence, colorectal
cancer can rarely be traced to a specifi c
cause. According to the CDC, roughly
75 percent of colorectal cancers occur
in people with no known risk factors.
However, the following may increase a
person’s risk of developing colorectal
cancer:
• A personal or family history of colorectal
polyps or colorectal cancer.
• Infl ammatory-bowel disease, such
as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
In a very small percentage of colorectal
cancer cases, the cause is
linked to a genetic syndrome such as
familial adenomatous polyposis or hereditary
non-polyposis colorectal cancer,
also known as Lynch syndrome.
Are there symptoms of
colorectal cancer?
Both colorectal polyps and colorectal
cancer don’t always cause symptoms.
This is especially true initially,
when people could be living with polyps
or cancer and not even know it.
Such is the reason screenings for colorectal
cancer are extremely important
and should occur regularly when
men and women reach age 50. But in
some cases, the following symptoms
may appear:
• Blood in or on your stool.
• Persistent stomach pain or aches.
• Inexplicable weight loss.
Though causes of colorectal cancer
aren’t always known, studies have
shown exercise and maintaining a
healthy weight can decrease risk.
More information is available at www.
cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal.
/colorectal
/colorectal
/colorectal