The cancer of the large intestine is generally referred to as colon cancer. The colon is the end part of the digestive systems. Cancer in this regain like any other cancerous outgrowth begins as noncancerous cells. This is the benign stage of cancer, which causes the formation of adenomatous polyps. This is restricted to a particular site.

The polyps may progress by metastasizing causing malignancy. In this article, the causes and risk factors of colon cancer will be discussed in detail.

Causes of colon cancer
In the case of colon cancer, there may be no particular cause of having the disease. Cancer generally occurs as the gene of the cells gets mutated to cause uncontrolled proliferation. These continue to proliferate forming a mass of cells or tumor. Within the due course of time, the cancerous cells may invade nearby cells and develop into malignancy.

Colon cancer can be inherited from one generation to the other. The mutated genes have the potential to move from one to the next generation.

• The hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) or Lynch syndrome has been identified to cause colon cancer. In this case, the person may develop cancer before 50 years of age.
• Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare disease causing to produce a number of polyps that lines the rectum and the colon. FAP, if untreated, may have high chances to develop cancer before 40 years of age.

Some of the rarer inherited syndromes can lead to cancer in the colon. Doctors usually take account of the case history of the patient to know the chances of having cancer in the colon.

The risk associated with colon cancer
There are several risk factors associated with colon cancer. Risk factors include:

Age
The risk of having cancer increases with age. An individual above the age 50 or older may have high chances of having the disease.

Family history
History of having adenomatous polyps and colon cancer in the previous generation is a vital risk factor.

Other diseases
Inflammation of the colon like ulcer or Crohn’s disease may develop cancer of the colon.

Fat-rich diet
Low-fiber diets which are rich in fats are found to be associated with colon and rectum cancer. The red and processed meats are rich in calories and fats that are associated with cancer.

The western diets have immensely contributed to cause colon carcinoma. Many researchers have concluded that this happens because the low fiber and high-fat diet affect the gut microbes causing inflammation of the colon which might become cancerous.

Sedentary lifestyle
A person living a sedentary lifestyle is likely to develop the disease.

Obesity
Obesity is also considered as the vital cause of having colon cancer. The death rate may increase if colon carcinoma is combined with obesity.

Smoking and alcohol
Smoking and consumption of alcohol are related to having influence over colon in developing cancer.

Diabetes
Researchers have found that people having resistance to insulin can develop colon cancer in the future.

Thus, these are the common factors that can increase the chances of colon cancer and cause the disease.