Risck Factor for colon cancer related to Obesity - Essay Example

It is advised that individuals should add a lot of fiber and calcium intake in their diet to reduce the chances of acquiring colon cancer. Moreover, people should be conscious of their weight and maintain an ideal weight to prevent complications that are linked with being overweight or obese. This paper will discuss the risk factor for colon cancer related to obesity. Colon cancer is discovered in its asymptomatic or premalignant stages, and there is a possibility for cure and prevention. Colon cancer can be considered as an illness confined to an anatomically and geometrically clear plane of flesh that is easily accessible to direct assessment.

Colon cancer starts as benign polyps which develop slowly into cancer. A polyp is the flesh protuberance from the colon mucosa and the greater the polyp, the higher the risk. Colon cancer grows directly from the inner lining via the muscle wall of the bowel and into neighboring tissues. The tumor may metastasize direct to the liver through the portal vein, the lymphatic system to adjacent lymph nodes and rarely through the bloodstream to the lungs or bones. In the early stages, colon cancer produces no symptoms.

Patients experience blood in the stool, cramping pain in the lower abdomen and rectal bleeding are a sign of advanced disease. Digital rectal examination (DRE) is employed to reveal 15% of colon cancer (Lippincott & Wilkins, 2013). Colon cancer arises from two kinds of precursor polyps through two clear pathways: serrated adenomas according to the serrated adenoma-to-carcinoma theory and conventional adenomas by the conventional adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence. The conventional adenomas result from mutation of the APC gene; advancement to colon cancer is a multistep procedure.

The important genetic defect in serrated adenomas is not known. Furthermore, diet also contributes to the development of colon cancer. Diets with high fat and low fiber