The vast majority of colon cancer cases are sporadic colon cancer. This means they are not related to genetics or family history.
Only 5% of yearly colon cancer cases in the United States are due to a "cancer gene". Another 20% of cases occur in people with a family history of the disease, but without a "cancer gene".
This leaves approximately 75% people who are diagnosed with colon cancer each year for no obvious reason. These are the sporadic colon cancer cases.
Sporadic Colon Cancer Risk
Even though 3 out of 4 colon cancer cases occur in people with no known genetic cause or family history, it doesn't mean that health experts have no idea what might contribute to who gets colon cancer. There may be no single, obvious cause to explain why a person gets colon cancer, but we do know that a variety of things, all of which are 100% within our own control, do play a role in colon cancer risk.
In fact, a group of the world's foremost experts on colon cancer, working with the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) to create their Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention report have concluded, "A Whopping 45 Percent of Colon Cancers Are Preventable." The just-released policy report estimates that 45% of colorectal cancer cases can be prevented with a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and maintaining a healthy body weight.
In addition to these three things, regular colon cancer screening is a must for reducing both the risk of colon cancer and the risk of dying of thw disease if you are diagnosed.
If you need more reasons to sign up for colon cancer screening, consider that the five-year survival rate for people in whom colon cancer is detected in the earliest stages, when it is confined to the colon, is over 90%. If cancer has spread beyond the colon to other distant areas in the body, five-year survival falls to an abysmal 9.8%. Screening greatly increases the odds that colon cancer will be caught early, when it's curable.
Already Diagnosed with Colon Cancer? It's Not Too Late!
If you already have been diagnosed with sporadic, or any type of colon cancer, avoid the temptation to say, "I would have, could have, should have..." regarding what may have contributed to your disease. Self-blame is self-destructive and will do nothing to help you move forward in a positive way after your diagnosis.
If you need more encouragement to avoid engaging in the self-blame game, consider that even after diagnosis, regular exercise and a healthy diet can reduce risk of recurrence. Instead of wasting your time on things you can't change, like your past, focus on what you can do to help yourself fight your disease, starting today.
Regular physical activity may reduce risk of recurrence by up to 61%. Diet is important too and those diagnosed with colon cancer who eat a less-healthy, high-fat, low-fruit-and-vegetable diet have up to three times the risk of dying of colon cancer compared to cancer survivors eating a healthy diet.
The bottom line? Regular exercise, eating right, and taking care of yourself can help us all, regardless of our current health status.
Sources
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2007. Accessed: January 25, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2007PWSecured.pdf
American Institute for Cancer Research. Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention. Accessed: March 15, 2009.
http://www.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=res_policy_report
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Kwak EL, Chung DC. Hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes: an overview. Clinical Colorectal Cancer 2007 6:340-44.
Meyerhardt JA, Giovannucci EL, Holmes MD, Chan AT, Chan JA, Colditz GA, Fuchs CS. Physical activity and survival after colon cancer diagnosis. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2007 24:3527-34.
Meyerhardt JA, Niedzwiecki D, Hollis D, Saltz LB, Hu FB, Mayer RJ, Nelson H, Whittom R, Hantel A, Thomas J, Fuchs CS. Association of dietary patterns with cancer recurrence and survival in patients with stage III colon cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association 2007 298:754-64.
National Human Genome Research Institute. Learning About Colon Cancer. Accessed: January 25, 2009.
http://www.genome.gov/10000466
Newton RU, Galvão DA. Exercise in prevention and management of cancer. Current Treatment Options in Oncology 2008 9:135-46.
