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Illustrated Health Encyclopedia
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Ency. home > Disease > C > Colon cancer

Colon cancer    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Cancer - intestine; Colorectal cancer; Intestinal cancer; Bowel cancer; Cancer - colon

Definition:

The colon and rectum are part of the large intestine (bowel). Colon and rectum cancers, which are sometimes referred to together as "colorectal cancer", usually grow in the lining of the large intestine. (When cancer grows in the lining of an organ like the large intestine, it is called a carcinoma.)

Other types of colon cancer are rare, and include lymphoma, carcinoid, melanoma, fibrosarcoma, and other types of sarcoma.

Causes and Risks

There is no single cause of colon cancer. Factors associated with colon cancer are colorectal polyps, cancer elsewhere in the body, a family history of colon cancer, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and immunodeficiency disorders.

Dietary factors associated with colon cancer are a high-meat, high-fat, low-fiber diet.

Cancer of the colon and rectum accounts for 11% of cancer deaths. It is the third most common cancer in adults.

Ency. home > Disease > C > Colon cancer

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