SYMPTOMS OF COLON CANCER.
Also known as colorectal cancer, colon cancer affects more than 200, 000 US citizens annually. This disease attacks the colon or rectum, located at the end of the digestive tract's lower end.
Early cases can begin as noncancerous polyps. These often have no symptoms but can be detected by screening.
Here are a few things you need to know.
* When doctors find this disease early, it's highly curable. It happens when abnormal cells grow in the lining of the large intestine . It can strike both men and women, and it is the second highest rate of cancer deaths in the US.
*Polyps
These are growth on the inside of your intestine . Most of them are harmless, but some turn into colorectal cancer if not removed early. Intestinal polyps form when there are problems with the way cells grow and repair in the lining of the colon.
*Risk Factors
(a) Your age - most people with it are older than 50.
(b) Polyps or inflammatory disease.
(c) Family history of colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps.
* Things you can do.
(a) Avoid eating a lot of red or processed meats, or those cooked at high temperatures.
(b) Watch your weight. Obesity ( too much fat around the waist) is a risk factor.
(c) Exercise often.
(d) Cut back on smoking
(e) Control your alcohol use
Credit: WebMD.
Also known as colorectal cancer, colon cancer affects more than 200, 000 US citizens annually. This disease attacks the colon or rectum, located at the end of the digestive tract's lower end.
Early cases can begin as noncancerous polyps. These often have no symptoms but can be detected by screening.
Here are a few things you need to know.
* When doctors find this disease early, it's highly curable. It happens when abnormal cells grow in the lining of the large intestine . It can strike both men and women, and it is the second highest rate of cancer deaths in the US.
*Polyps
These are growth on the inside of your intestine . Most of them are harmless, but some turn into colorectal cancer if not removed early. Intestinal polyps form when there are problems with the way cells grow and repair in the lining of the colon.
*Risk Factors
(a) Your age - most people with it are older than 50.
(b) Polyps or inflammatory disease.
(c) Family history of colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps.
* Things you can do.
(a) Avoid eating a lot of red or processed meats, or those cooked at high temperatures.
(b) Watch your weight. Obesity ( too much fat around the waist) is a risk factor.
(c) Exercise often.
(d) Cut back on smoking
(e) Control your alcohol use
Credit: WebMD.