From Donna Myers,
Your Guide to Colon Cancer.
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About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by V.K. Gadi, MD

Definition:

The colon is about six feet long and is the part of the body's digestive system that moves waste material from the small intestine to the rectum. The small intestine sucks the nutrients out of what you eat and then pours the leftover sludge into the cecum. This sludgy waste then moves from the cecum to the colon for further processing.

The colon absorbs water from the sludge while transporting it toward the rectum. In the process, the colon may also absorb harmful materials. The longer it takes for waste to pass through the colon, the greater the chance of absorbing such materials.

You can tell how long waste sits in your colon by how often you poop. In general, the more you poop, the faster your colon is processing material.

Related Articles:

• What is colon cancer?
  
• Colon Polyps and Cancer Risk

To learn more about colorectal anatomy, please take a look at the Anatomy of the Large Intestine gallery.

Sources:

1. Colon. Merriam-Webster Online. 4 Sep. 2006 [http://m-w.com/dictionary/colon].
   
2. Colon (Anatomy). Wikipedia. 4 Sep. 2006 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_(anatomy)].
   
3. The Large Intestine. Gray's Anatomy. 4 Sep. 2006 [http://www.bartleby.com/107/249.html].