Colorectal Cancer Causes

The colon is a large organ approximately five feet in length within our body. It stretches from the large intestine (in our digestive tract) to the rectal area. Therefore, when describing cancers of the colon, it is not uncommon to hear the term colorectal cancer, since this term encompasses both areas in which the colon is located within the body. One potential cause of colorectal cancer is ulcerative colitis, which promotes inflammatory polyp formation in the colon.

Significance

• As with all cancerous cells, regardless of their location in the body, cancer--in its most basic definition--is due to our body's cells multiplying more than is normally needed for proper body functioning and cell replication.
  While each type of cancer has factors that make it unique--and sometimes a specific cause for the over multiplication process can actually be pinned down--that is not always the case.

One cause of colorectal cancer

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease, also known as IBD, has been listed as one potential cause of colorectal cancer--or at least one version of it: ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis causes ulcers and inflammation in the digestive tract of the body and produces pain in the abdominal area, as well as the symptom of diarrhea.
  It used to be believed that ulcerative colitis was caused due to stress; however, scientists now believe that a pathogen of some sort is the more likely culprit, causing a disruption in the immune system, which promotes the over multiplication of cells in the colon. Heredity is also now thought to play a potential role in the creation of ulcerative colitis too.

Ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer

• In order to understand how ulcerative colitis can be a cause of colorectal cancer, we must reflect back to the fact that cancer basically occurs due to cell overproduction. Although overproduction of cells does not automatically result in cancer, this overproduction provides the foundation for it.
  When cells overproduce in the colon, the overproduced ones begin to form a cluster or grouping of cells which are known as polyps in the colon.

Polyps, ulcerative colitis, and colorectal cancer

• Not all polyps in the colon become malignant (cancerous), some of them remain benign or noncancerous. But the overabundance of polyps in the colon contributes to problems in the digestive tract and increases the risk of colon polyps turning malignant.

Considerations

• Since a relationship has been established between colorectal cancer and malignant polyps, knowing ways you can eliminate the formation of colon polyps in your colon is important. Some of those recommendations are as follows: reduce foods high in fat from your diet, exercise regularly, reduce weight if needed and abstain from smoking or drinking alcohol.