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Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology

Patient and Family Education

Colon Cancer

What is Colon Cancer?

Cancer of the colon is a disease in which cancerous cells develop in the tissues of the colon. In 2010, the American Cancer Society estimates that 102,900 new cases of colon cancer were diagnosed in the United States. Although colon cancer is among the most common forms of cancer, the number of new cases and the number of deaths attributed to the disease have declined in recent years due to improved screening and diagnostic techniques.

Colon cancer can occur in persons of any age, but it is most common in those over the age of fifty. It is highly treatable when it is found early, but it may go undetected in its early stages because many people who have it do not experience symptoms.

The colon is part of the body's digestive system, the system that breaks down food, removes nutrients from the food, and stores waste until it passes out of the body.

The digestive system is made up of the esophagus, the stomach, and the small and large intestines. The small intestine extends from the lower end of the stomach to the large intestine, and the large intestine extends from the end of the small intestine to the anal opening. The large intestine has two parts: the first part is the colon, which is about six feet long, and the last part is the rectum, which is between six and ten inches long.

Watch Video:

• Patient Success Story: Watch interviews with cancer survivor Susan McCarney, her family and her medical team
• Audio Podcast: Colorectal Cancer -- An Interview with Naimish Pandya, M.D.
  
• Video: Colon Cancer -- An Interview with Nader Hanna, M.D.

This page was last updated on: March 29, 2011.

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