Expert Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Care

Understand Your Colorectal Cancer Risk

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women.

If a member of your family had colon cancer, you are at a higher risk for developing the disease yourself. If a family member had colon polyps but not colon cancer, you are still considered high risk. Colon polyps are a precursor to colon cancer. Follow the screening guidelines for someone with a family history of colorectal cancer.

Other risk factors for colorectal cancer include:

• Age: Colorectal cancer is more likely in men and women over the age of 45.
• Health history: Colorectal cancer is more likely if you have colon polyps, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease or type 2 diabetes.
• Race and ethnicity: African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer rates of all racial groups in the United States. Ashkenazi Jews have one of the highest colorectal cancer risks of any ethnic group in the world.
• Body weight: Being overweight or obese raises your risk of developing colon or rectal cancer.
• Diet: Eating a diet high in red and processed meats (like hot dogs and some luncheon meats) can increase your risk of colorectal cancer. Cooking meats at high temperatures (frying, broiling, grilling) may raise your risk of cancer overall.
• Lifestyle: Smoking, using tobacco and drinking alcohol can raise your risk of colorectal cancer — and many other cancers, too.

Preventing Colorectal Cancer

Before an abnormality becomes colon cancer, it starts with a polyp. A colon polyp is a precursor to colon cancer. Typically, it takes colon polyps five to 10 years to develop into colorectal cancer. This means that you have five to 10 years from the formation of a polyp to get it removed before it turns into cancer. Small colon polyps can be removed during a routine colonoscopy using a wire loop passed through a colonoscope.

The best way to prevent colon cancer is through a colonoscopy. Don’t wait until you have symptoms. If you have an average risk for colorectal cancer, you should get your first coloscopy at 45 years old.

If you have a family history of colon cancer or colon polyps, you may need to start screening sooner. You should have your first colonoscopy by age 45, or 10 years before your family member's diagnosis, whichever comes first. Additionally, if you or a family member have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 50, you can consider genetic testing.

At ProMedica, you can schedule a colonoscopy without an initial office visit if you are 45 or older and have an average risk of colorectal cancer.

Schedule online today!