by Erich Rosenberger M.D.

Created on: August 06, 2009   Last Updated: August 12, 2009

Colorectal cancer, also commonly known simply as colon cancer, is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the western world. It is estimated that around 50,000 people in America die each year from colorectal cancer.

This article will focus on the risk factors for getting colorectal cancer. It will not spend time dealing with symptoms and treatment of this disease.

There are many risk factors for colorectal cancer. This type of cancer is one of the most studied and examined diseases in modern medicine. The numerous risk factors can be broken in to two very broad categories: those that you can control, and those you can't. Let's take a look at risk factors that you can't control first.

Age has found to be a risk factor for developing colon cancer. Over 90% of all diagnosed cases are found in people over the age of 50. People younger than 50 rarely get colorectal cancer. Race and ethnicity is another risk factor that you can't control. Jews and people of African descent are more likely to get colon cancer.

There are several medical conditions which can effect the risk of colon cancer. Polyps in the colon will increase your risk of colon cancer. Inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, can both increase your risk of colon cancer.

Having a family member who had colon cancer can increase your risk as well. The closer the relationship, the greater the risk. Parents who had cancer put you at greater risk than a distant cousin. The reasons for this increased risk is not well understood, but it certainly points to suspicion that there is a genetic cause to colon cancer.

There are a couple of relatively rare inherited genetic disorders that can increase your risk for developing colon cancer. The first of these is called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). Less than 1% of all cases of colorectal cancer are caused by this genetic disorder. Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer is another genetic disorder that increases risk. Lastly, Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome is another genetic disorder.

Okay, those are the risk factors that you can't really do anything about. But there are other things that you can do to effect your risk of developing colorectal cancer. These lifestyle decisions can have great impact on your health in many ways, not just in limiting your risk of colon cancer.

Diet can have an effect. There is evidence that diets high in red meat can increase your risk. Diets high in vegetables and fruits can help lower your risk.

Exercise and obesity have also been linked to the risk of developing colon cancer. The evidence for these associates is sometimes a bit stetchy, but there is little doubt that being active and maintaining a health weight are good for you in many ways.

Smoking and heavy consumption of alcohol have been linked to the risk of developing colon cancer. This should come as no surprise as these activities are generally bad for you for any number of reasons (some alcohol consumption is not always bad - the risk here deals with heavy drinking).

Colon cancer is certainly something that you want to limit your risk for as much as possible. There are effective screening tools that can be used to detect the presence of the disease early on. If you have questions about what you can do to limit your risk for colon cancer, have a talk with your doctor.

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