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Last Updated: Aug 6th, 2008 - 09:50:39 |
General Information About Colon Cancer
The colon is part of the body¡¯s digestive system. The digestive system removes and processes nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water) from foods and helps pass waste material out of the body. The digestive system is made up of the esophagus, stomach, and the small and large intestines. The first 6 feet of the large intestine are called the large bowel or colon. The last 6 inches are the rectum and the anal canal. The anal canal ends at the anus (the opening of the large intestine to the outside of the body).
Colorectal Cancer (PDQ®): Screening
Screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms. This can help find cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread.
Colorectal Cancer (PDQ®): Prevention
Doctors cannot always explain why one person gets cancer and another does not. However, scientists have studied general patterns of cancer in the population to learn what things around us and what things we do in our lives may increase our chance of developing cancer.
Colorectal Cancer Screening: Questions and Answers
Colorectal cancer is a disease in which cells in the colon or rectum become abnormal and divide without normal control or order, forming a mass called a tumor. (The colon and rectum are parts of the body’s digestive system that remove water and nutrients from food and store solid waste until it passes out of the body.) Cancer cells invade and destroy the tissue around them. They can also break away from the tumor and spread to form new tumors in other parts of the body.
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