Common Risk Factors Associated With Colo-rectal Cancer

There are many risk factors for coo-rectal cancer, some of these are preventable while others are not. It is thought that around half of all colo-rectal cancer deaths could be prevented through regular screenings and lifestyle changes. Here are some of the more common risk factors associated with colo-rectqal cancer.

Gender

Men are slightly more likely to develop colo-rectal cancer than women. In particular, men are about 60% more likely to develop rectal cancer while males and females have about the same incidence of colon cancer.

Age

The risk of developing colo-rectal cancer is strongly linked to age. About 98% of all cases occur in people aged over 40, around 90% in people aged over 50 and, and around 70% in people over the age of 60.

Gender

African Americans and Hispanics appear to be at a slightly greater risk of developing colo-rectal cancer than Caucasians.

Family History

There appears to be a large genetic component of colo-rectal cancer. A history of colo-rectal cancer or polyps in first degree relatives raises an individuals risk of developing the disease. Around 20% of colo-rectal cancers are thought to be due to genetic factors.

Inherited Disorders

This includes disorders such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) which leads to a large number of polyps developing in the colon or rectum at a very young age (often before the age of 20). Other inherited disorders include hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases includes disorders such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. These are known to increase an individuals risk of developing colo-rectal cancer, particularly at a younger age.

Diet

Diets high in fat have been associated with a greater risk of colo-rectal cancer. Diets high in red and processed meats are also thought to increase colo-rectal cancer risk. People that consume low amounts of fiber are also at a greater probability of developing the disease.

Lack Of Physical Activity

Those who perform moderate exercise at least three times a week are at around a 40% lower risk of developing colo-rectal cancer than those who perform moderate exercise less than three times a week. Physical activity can also improve a persons survival outlook after being diagnosed with the disease.

Obesity

Obesity is a strong risk factor for colo-rectal cancer. One study found that people with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 have around an 80% greater risk of colo-rectal cancer than people with a normal BMI (between 19 and 24.5).

Smoking

Smoking is thought to increase the number and size of polyps in the colon and carcinogens in tobacco are known to increase the incidence of most forms of cancer including colon and rectal cancers.

Heavy Alcohol Consumption

Studies have found that alcohol consumption of more than 25 standard drinks a week increases colo-rectal cancer risk significantly.

Type-2 Diabetes

People with type-2 diabetes are more likely to develop colo-rectal cancer and are more likely to die from it than people without type-2 diabetes, even after adjusting for risk factors common to both diabetes and colo-rectal cancer.

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Bowel cancer (colorectal cancer)

The bowel 

The bowel is part of the digestive system. This is called the gastrointestinal tract or GI tract for short. The digestive system processes all the food we eat and turns it into energy for the body to use.

The bowel is divided into the small bowel (small intestine) and the large bowel (colon and rectum). Food passes down the foodpipe (gullet or oesophagus) into the stomach. The food is digested and passes into the small bowel. Here the body absorbs nutrients from the food. The food then passes through the large bowel, which absorbs water and forms the waste matter into stool. The stool is stored in the back passage (rectum) until it is ready to be passed out of the body.

The small bowel

The small bowel is actually the longest part of the bowel. It is called small because it is narrower than the large bowel. Cancer of the small bowel is rare.

The large bowel

The large bowel is made up of the colon and rectum. It has walls made of several layers. Bowel cancers start in the innermost layer - the lining of the bowel. If left untreated, it can grow into the muscle layers underneath, and then through the bowel wall. Most bowel cancers take 5 to 10 years to develop. Most begin as a small growth on the bowel wall called a polyp or adenoma.

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Chemotherapy For Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second type of cancer associated cause of death in America. This disease is also referred as bowel cancer or colon cancer.

Cure for the cancer varies according to each severity case. Doctors usually use a combination of therapies that can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to successfully treat each specific case of colorectal cancer.

It surely means patient suffering from cancer of the large intestine when diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The cells of a colon or rectal polyp can eventually become abnormal, which could begin to damage healthy tissue of their colon and rectum resulting in a malignant tumor.

Doctor usually utilizes chemotherapy as additional supportive treatment to slow tumor growth, reduce tumor size and reduce the development of metastasis along with surgery. It can be recommended before or after surgery.

This cure involves the use of anticancer drugs to kill and eliminate abnormal cells. These drugs enter the bloodstream in order to eradicate cancer cells throughout the entire body.
But, this treatment is not the first option for treatment of colorectal cancer, especially in earlier stages. Another medical cure like a colonoscopy or a colectomy is more performed to either extract the malignancy itself or remove the diseased section of the large intestines.

Types of chemotherapy drugs for colorectal cancer are varies depending on the patient case, also the chemotherapy side effects. There are basic anticancer drugs that are regularly used with this form of the disease regardless of how chemotherapy is used.

Drugs like Fluorouracil are probably the most common, but you may also be given additional drugs like capecitabine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, leucovorin in variety dosage. The drug can be a combination of two to three of the five which are given intravenously over a course of weeks to months.

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