At what age are most colon cancers found?

Colorectal cancer can occur in young adults and teenagers, but the majority of colorectal cancers occur in people older than 50. For colon cancer, the average age at the time of diagnosis for men is 68 and for women is 72.

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Who is considered high risk for colon cancer?

Lack of regular physical activity. A diet low in fruit and vegetables. A low-fiber and high-fat diet, or a diet high in processed meats. Overweight and obesity.

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Who is most at risk for developing colon cancer early in life?

People with a history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) are at increased risk. The risk is even higher if that relative was diagnosed with cancer when they were younger than 50 , or if more than one first-degree relative is affected.

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Is colon cancer rare before 40?

Nearly 18,000 people under the age of 50 will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year in the United States, said Rebecca Siegel, M.P.H., of the American Cancer Society. But the disease is still relatively rare, affecting far less than 1% of younger adults.

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Can you have colon cancer for 10 years and not know?

Colon cancer is typically slow-growing, starting as a benign polyp that eventually becomes malignant. This process may occur over many years without producing any symptoms. Once colon cancer has developed, it may still be years before it is detected.

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How Getting Colon Cancer at 21 Changes Everything

29 related questions found

What are the silent signs of colon cancer?

Colon cancer is considered a silent disease. Most of the time there are no symptoms. The symptoms that people may experience include a change in bowel habits, abdominal pain, blood in the stool, and weight loss. If individuals have these symptoms, the disease may already have advanced.

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At what stage does colon cancer show symptoms?

Colorectal cancer symptoms may be minor or non-existent during the early stages of the disease, although there may be some early warning signs. The symptoms of colorectal cancer may not develop until the disease has progressed into stage 2 or beyond.

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Can colon cancer develop in 3 years?

Colon cancer, or cancer that begins in the lower part of the digestive tract, usually forms from a collection of benign (noncancerous) cells called an adenomatous polyp. Most of these polyps will not become malignant (cancerous), but some can slowly turn into cancer over the course of about 10-15 years.

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At what age should you worry about colon cancer?

Colon cancer can be diagnosed at any age, but a majority of people with colon cancer are older than 50. The rates of colon cancer in people younger than 50 have been increasing, but doctors aren't sure why.

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How likely is it that I have colon cancer?

Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is: about 1 in 23 (4.3%) for men and 1 in 25 (4.0%) for women. A number of other factors (described in Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors) can also affect your risk for developing colorectal cancer.

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Why are so many people getting colon cancer?

Why is there an uptick? Nobody knows for sure why colorectal cancer numbers are rising in young people. Sedentary lifestyle, overweight and obesity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, low-fiber, high-fat diets or diets high in processed meats, and other environmental factors have all been associated with the disease.

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Is colon cancer fast or slow growing?

In most cases, colon and rectal cancers grow slowly over many years. Most of those cancers start as a growth called a polyp.

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How fast spreading is colon cancer?

How fast does colon cancer spread? Colorectal cancer tends to spread to the liver and lungs 2 years after initial cancer surgery.

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Would colon cancer show up in blood work?

No blood test can tell you if you have colon cancer. But your doctor may test your blood for clues about your overall health, such as kidney and liver function tests. Your doctor may also test your blood for a chemical sometimes produced by colon cancers (carcinoembryonic antigen, or CEA).

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What percent of colon cancer is fatal?

If the cancer is diagnosed at a localized stage, the survival rate is 91%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues or organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is 72%. If colon cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 14%.

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Can a healthy person have colon cancer?

Over 75% of colon and rectal cancers happen to people with no known risk factors, which is why regular screening is so important. A personal or family history of colon or rectal cancer or colon polyps can increase the risk of developing colon cancer.

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Where is colon cancer pain felt?

Many cases of colon cancer have no symptoms. If there are symptoms, the following may indicate colon cancer: Abdominal pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen.

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How survivable is colon cancer if caught early?

When colorectal cancer is found at an early stage before it has spread, the 5-year relative survival rate is about 90%. But only about 4 out of 10 colorectal cancers are found at this early stage. When cancer has spread outside the colon or rectum, survival rates are lower.

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What is the youngest person to have colon cancer?

' 22-year-old youngest Colorectal Cancer patient Novant Health has treated.

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How often is cancer found in colonoscopy?

Here's what we know: As often as 40% of the time, a precancerous polyp — frequently a type called an adenoma — is found during a screening colonoscopy. Colon cancer is found during only in about 40 out of 10,000 screening colonoscopies, Dr. Sand said.

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Can you get colon cancer 6 months after colonoscopy?

Researchers performed logistic regression to assess risk factors associated with interval cancers. Among 126,851 patients who underwent colonoscopies, 2,659 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer; 6% of these colorectal cancers were found to have developed within 6 to 60 months after a colonoscopy.

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Can colon cancer develop 1 year after colonoscopy?

Figure 1 shows the cumulative incidence of colorectal cancer starting 1 year after a negative colonoscopy: 0.4% at 3 years, 0.8% at 5 years and 2.3% at 10 years.

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How long can colon cancer go unnoticed?

Some patients under 50 experience symptoms for up to a year before seeing a doctor prompting some experts to encourage earlier screening. Many younger patients with colon cancer are initially misdiagnosed, which often leads to their disease being discovered at an advanced stage.

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Do symptoms of colon cancer come on suddenly?

Colorectal cancer might not cause symptoms right away. In fact, many of the symptoms of colorectal cancer can also be caused by other problems, such as infection, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease. It's important to get checked if you have any of following problems.

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Does colon cancer show up suddenly?

Screening for colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer doesn't just appear suddenly. It starts as a small growth on your colon, called a polyp, which rarely causes symptoms. If left alone over many years, polyps can grow into cancer.

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