Rectal & Colon Cancer in Men

Am I at Risk for Colorectal Cancer?

Anyone with a colon can get colorectal cancer – a collective term that includes both colon cancer and rectal cancer. In the United States, it’s the third most common serious cancer in men and women. About 27,800 men died from colorectal cancer in 2006, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer. And new evidence suggests that men may benefit more than women from earlier colorectal cancer screening.

Overall, only about 6% of men in the U.S. develop colorectal cancer but several factors increase your risk:

• Age: Men younger than 40 almost never develop colorectal cancer. Over 90% of the cases are in men over 50.
• Family History:If people in your immediate family or near relations had colorectal cancer at a young age, you should be screened earlier.
• Previous Colorectal Cancer: If you've had cancer removed already, you're at higher risk to develop a new one.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease. If you have had a condition such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis for several years, your risk of colorectal cancer goes up.

Other conditions that appear to raise the risk of colorectal cancer include:

• Drinking more than two alcoholic drinks per day
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• A high-fat diet, with fat coming mostly from meat

What Is Colorectal Cancer?

The colon is the large intestine and the rectumisthe last six inches of intestine, connecting the colon to the anus. In the U.S. in 2006, about 49,000 men developed colon cancer and about 23,580 men developed rectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer usually develops slowly, beginning first as small growth called a polyp. Polyps may grow larger and eventually turn into cancer. The entire process of a polyp transforming into cancer usually takes several years.

After cancer develops, it grows into the wall of the colon and eventually metastasizes, or spreads. Most of the time, this process is preventable with proper screening.

Colorectal cancer symptoms include change in bowel habits (diarrhea or constipation), blood in the stool, black stools, abdominal pain, and weakness.

How Can I Prevent Colorectal Cancer?

The good news for your colon, and your rectum, is that colorectal cancer is usually preventable. The number one way to prevent it is to get screened. Most men should begin colorectal cancer screening at age 50. If you have colorectal cancer in your family or other risk factors, tell your doctor. You may need screening at a younger age.

Several screening methods are proven to reduce colorectal cancer rates:

• Colonoscopy: You've probably heard of this awkward-but-painless procedure. The downside of it is that a flexible tube about the thickness of a finger is inserted into your anus. The plus side is that it can save your life. Your gastroenterologist (gut doctor) can usually see and remove polyps or cancer before it spreads. If your colon is "clean," you probably won’t need another colonoscopy for several years.
• Flexible Sigmoidoscopy:This scaled-down version of a colonoscopy is another reasonable option.
• Fecal Occult Blood Test: This involves you smearing stool on a paper card and bringing to your doctor each year. Your gift is then checked for blood, because colorectal cancers often bleed. Blood in your stool usually earns you a colonoscopy, to look for cancer.