Colon cancer is uncommon in those under forty years of age and tends to be associated with a poorer prognosis. Another consideration is that people who don?t have symptoms at the time of diagnosis tend to have a better prognosis. Colon cancer is regarded as the second leading cause of most cancer deaths in the United States. Colon cancer is a long-standing disease, which starts as a polyp or a small non-cancerous growth. Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in Canada. It is estimated that one of 16 Canadian men and one of 18 Canadian women will develop colon cancer in their lifetimes, just behind breast cancer for women and prostate cancer in men.

Colon cancer is most common in people over age 50. Colon cancer is easily treated, and even cured in some cases, if lesions are caught early. The problem is that most people don’t know they are harboring cancerous growths, since the disease has very few symptoms. (more…)