- CAPP Home
- »Participant Zone
- : About Colon Cancer
About Colon Cancer
What is Colon Cancer?
The colon is part of the large intestine involved in removing water and nutrients from the food you eat.
As with all parts of the body, the colon is made of cells. Colon cells come in many different types, each with a particular job to do.
The colon cells are vulnerable to damage so new cells are being produced all the time.
How does a cell know if it's damaged? The life of the individual cells are carefully controlled by its DNA. DNA is present in the middle of the cells and operates like a computer programme to operate the normal workings of the cell.
If the DNA is damaged, the cell can order itself to self destruct in case it starts affecting the normal working of the colon.
However if a cell is cancerous, the normal course of events is altered. Instead of self destructing, a single cell can start to divide and make more cells just like itself.
These cells are out of control. The dividing cells can produce a lump which starts to produce poisons and if it becomes big enough will start to affect how the colon works. Parts of the lump can also break off and start cancers in other parts of the body.
Bowel cancer is cancer in any part of the colon or rectum that forms most of the large intestine or bowel. Untreated it will increase in size and may cause a blockage or ulcerate leading to blood loss and anaemia.
Most cancers start with wart-like growths, called polyps, on the wall of the gut. Polyps become more common as people get older but most polyps do not turn to cancer. However, if a potentially cancerous polyp can be found at an early stage, it can be safely removed.
Why is colon cancer more common in some families than others?
At some time in our lives most of us suffer from problems with bowels. At any time, one in five of us has a tummy upset or bleeding from the bottom. Most of these people do not have cancer. However, there is a group of people who have a higher risk of developing bowel cancer due to their family history. It is now known that there are some genes which, if faulty, can cause bowel cancer. In recent years scientists have begun to uncover the basis for many types of hereditary cancer. By studying patterns in a family's medical history, researchers have determined which cancers may be inherited.
People who develop colon cancer and have a particular type of family background are said to have hereditary colon cancer.
Each of us carriers a unique DNA code passed down from our parents. It is this code that makes us different from each other; it determines the colour of our eyes and affects our future health. There are some genes that increase the chance of developing cancers. As these genes pass down through the family some members are at higher risk of developing cancers than others.