poisonwood : colon cancer

My uncle was just diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. ?It?s treatable, but it?s still very rough news. ?He?s 50. ?My grandfather (my uncle?s father) was diagnosed with colon cancer at 48. ?He survived, minus several organs, some not so important (appendix), some very important (bladder). ?My aunt successfully beat colon cancer a couple years ago. ?She was 57 when she was diagnosed. ?Sensing a trend here? ?This is on my Mom?s side of the family. ?On my Dad?s side of the family, my grandmother died of colon cancer in her mid 60s. ?My Dad takes colon cancer very seriously as a result, and I?ve always kind of known about it. ?My Mom hates doctors and hospitals, but my Dad has made sure she gets the regular colonscopies as well. ?My brother, sister and I will all have to start getting colonoscopies at age 40, per my uncle?s doctor?s recommendation.

My Mom?s side of the family is basically just a minefield of health issues, from colon cancer and other cancers at relatively young ages to Type II diabetes ? my grandmother, uncle and aunt ? to heart disease and stroke. ?I grew up with her older relatives as a model of what old age looks like (since my dad?s family was in Ireland and we don?t see them very often), and it?s not pretty. ?Both sides of my Mom?s family have a tendency to be overweight or obese. ?My Mom has struggled with her weight as long as I can remember, despite eating way less than my Dad does. ?Unlike all her other family members, though, she does eat like a bird, and with my Dad?s encouragement, walks every day, and she?s the one out of her four siblings that has so far avoided cancer and diabetes.

My husband has been touched my colon cancer as well. ?His Dad died of it in his 60s. ?It was definitely the worst thing that has ever happened to my husband ? not just the trauma of losing a parent, but losing a parent in what was apparently a particularly horrible way. ?(This happened before we got together.) ?He?s been getting colonscopies since his early 30s, and has already had polyps removed, as has his brother.

The risk factors for colon cancer are:

• Older age.?About 90 percent of people diagnosed with colon cancer are older than 50. Colon cancer can occur in younger people, but it occurs much less frequently.
• African-American race.?African-Americans have a greater risk of colon cancer than do people of other races.
• A personal history of colorectal cancer or polyps.?If you?ve already had colon cancer or adenomatous polyps, you have a greater risk of colon cancer in the future.
• Inflammatory intestinal conditions.?Chronic inflammatory diseases of the colon, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn?s disease, can increase your risk of colon cancer.
• Inherited syndromes that increase colon cancer risk.?Genetic syndromes passed through generations of your family can increase your risk of colon cancer. These syndromes include familial adenomatous polyposis and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, which is also known as Lynch syndrome.
• Family history of colon cancer and colon polyps.?You?re more likely to develop colon cancer if you have a parent, sibling or child with the disease. If more than one family member has colon cancer or rectal cancer, your risk is even greater. In some cases, this connection may not be hereditary or genetic. Instead, cancers within the same family may result from shared exposure to an environmental carcinogen or from diet or lifestyle factors.
• Low-fiber, high-fat diet.?Colon cancer and rectal cancer may be associated with a diet low in fiber and high in fat and calories. Research in this area has had mixed results. Some studies have found an increased risk of colon cancer in people who eat diets high in red meat.
• A sedentary lifestyle.?If you?re inactive, you?re more likely to develop colon cancer. Getting regular physical activity may reduce your risk of colon cancer.
• Diabetes.?People with diabetes and insulin resistance may have an increased risk of colon cancer.
• Obesity.?People who are obese have an increased risk of colon cancer and an increased risk of dying of colon cancer when compared with people considered normal weight.
• Smoking.?People who smoke cigarettes may have an increased risk of colon cancer.
• Alcohol.?Heavy use of alcohol may increase your risk of colon cancer.
• Radiation therapy for cancer.?Radiation therapy directed at the abdomen to treat previous cancers may increase the risk of colon cancer.

It seems prudent to eliminate as many of these as possible.

Source: http://www.twenty-five.net/poisonwood/2012/09/25/colon-cancer/

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