Colon Cancer

Colon cancer occurs when the cells in the colon reproduce at abnormal rates and bunch together to form a tumour. Patients with a family history of colon or rectal cancer or of inflammatory bowel disease are at the highest risk of developing colon cancer. Other risk factors include high-fat and low-fiber diets.

Symptoms of colon cancer include rectal bleeding, bloody stools, and a change in bowel movement habits that lasts two weeks or more (for example, diarrhea on some days, constipation on others). An abdomen CT scan can detect colon cancer. If found in its early stages, colon cancer can be surgically removed or treated with radiation or chemotherapy.