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Colon Cancer Causes
Similar to any other type of cancer, colon cancer is a multifactorial disease, which means it requires a combination of more than one risk factor to appear. It is usually related to genetics, but other diseases and health conditions might also contribute to the formation of colorectal cancer.
One of the most important risk factors to develop colon cancer is age, as it has been found more prevalent in patients over 50 years old, especially if they have inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Colon cancer is also associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity, and we should pay extra attention when there’s a family history of colon cancer because it has an important hereditary load.
Colonic polyps are also associated with colon cancer. Polyps are abnormal tissue growths in the linings of the large intestines. They are likely caused by chronic constipation, and there are many types of polyps depending on the cells and structure they have. Almost every case of colon cancer starts with polyps, but many patients have them without developing colon cancer. There’s a higher risk if you have larger polyps or too many of them.
