All week 10/11 News is working to raise awareness about cancer, and Thursday we are putting colon cancer in the spotlight.

Often lumped in with rectal cancer as well, colon cancer is one of the top four diagnosed cancers. As you age, your risk of developing cancer generally increases, and that rule of thumb certainly applies to colon cancer - which is extremely uncommon under the age of 40.

Dr. Stacey Knox from from the Southeast Nebraska Cancer Center says, fortunately, the outlook for colon cancer patients is becoming a lot more positive as research continues.

"About 106,000 cases of colon cancer are diagnosed a year, between colon and rectal cancer, so it's considered one of the top four cancers that we see," Dr. Knox said.

Colorectal cancers usually begin with the growth of a polyp in the lining of the colon or rectum. And Dr. Knox says risk factors include obesity, diabetes, and even a family history of benign polyps.

"There are also risk factors known such as a personal history of inflammatory bowl disease, such as ulcer diff-colitis or Crohn's Disease. And family history not of known, hereditary colon cancer, but also family histories of sporadic colon cancer can mean that you're at higher risk for colon cancer," she said.

Dr. Knox says 95% of colon cancers found are not linked to a family history though, and that's why screening is so important.

"Since the eighties, the mortality or the death rate from colon cancer has significantly improved because we're finding the colon cancers much earlier than we used to. We have improved survivals because we have much better treatments than we used to, and now we also have chemotherapy that we give after surgery that has also decreased the risk of recurrence significantly," said Dr. Knox.

Here in Lincoln, Dr. Knox says there are even some clinical research trials available for patients based on the genetic mutation of their cells.

"Currently the Nebraska Cancer Research Center has a wonderful trial available for stage two colorectal cancer patients who would not normally be treated, but it looks to see if they have high risk changes in the colon cancer to see if perhaps they might be at higher risk and if we treated them, if we could prevent them from occurring," she said.

Even better news though, Dr. Knox says most colon cancers can be caught before this is even necessary - if everyone is screened with a colonoscopy regularly.
Dr. Knox says everyone should consider having a colonoscopy at the age of 50, unless someone in your family has already been diagnosed with the disease. Then you should consider having regular colonoscopies starting 10 years before the age of your family member when they were diagnosed.

Dr. Knox says there are ways you can decrease your risk of colon cancer by exercising and increasing the fiber, vitamin D, and calcium in your diet. She also says there is some developing research about the use of aspirin and lowering your risk of colon cancer.