7 Risk Factors of Colon Cancer
Each cell in the body has DNA that contains instructions about what it needs to do. But colon cancer originates when the DNA in these healthy cells starts to mutate and grow in number. These cancerous cells continue to grow and form tumors, which eventually invade and damage the normal tissue nearby, migrating to other regions of the body. That said, there are risk factors that may lead to such a condition. 1. Race and gender When it comes to colon cancer, the race is one of the major risk factors. African-Americans show the highest rate of colon cancer in the country. Further, men are at a higher risk of developing the disease, even have a high mortality rate as compared to women of the same race. African-Americans are also likely to develop the condition at an earlier age. 2. Age Age is another contributing risk factor to colon cancer. Though the mutation can occur in young adults and teenagers, research shows that the condition is more common in people over the age of 50 (the average age for diagnoses in women is 72, and 68 for men). Older people also face unique challenges when it comes to the treatment of such cancer.
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