Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, not including skin cancer, and the second leading cause of death in both men and women combined.<\/p>\n
Colorectal cancer arises from the inner lining of the large intestine, also known as mucosa. It usually begins as an abnormal growth, or polyp, that forms in the colon or rectum. Symptoms typically don\u2019t present early and show up as the disease progresses.<\/p>\n
An increase in screening and change of lifestyle-related risk behaviors has led to a decrease in the number of new colorectal cancer cases and the number of deaths from colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n
In 2018 the U.S. Preventative Task Force (USPSTF) and American Cancer Society lowered the age for initiation of screening to 45 years old. However, those with increased risk, such as those with a family history of colon cancer should consider screening sooner.<\/p>\n
The Colon Cancer Prevention Program (CCPD)<\/a> at the UConn Health Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center<\/a> is a unique clinical and basic science integration focusing on patients at increased risk for colon cancer. This includes those with a positive family history and or a personal history of at-risk colon polyps.<\/p>\n At UConn, your cancer prevention plan begins with a detailed assessment to help determine your unique risk factors. At your first appointment, our nurse practitioner, doctors, and other team leaders will start working with you to create your personal risk-reduction strategies.<\/p>\n Several screening options exist including stool tests, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy.<\/p>\n CCPP had introduced the quantitative FIT test measuring immune hemoglobin in stool at billionths of a gram. In addition, tests for Stool DNA, also known as Cologuard, are additionally used for non-invasive detection of advanced polyps or cancer. Colonoscopy remains a key screening modality and its use is modified by both the patient risk profile and the risk associated with any specific polyp. Fortunately, most colon polyps do not convey a marked increase in long-term risk. The frequency of the colon exam is determined by the combination of patient risk factors and the findings on the colon exam.<\/p>\n A colonoscopy is the best available tool to allow physicians to visualize the entire large intestine and look for the earliest signs of cancer. Experts with the CCPP at UConn Health use a more advanced system to visualize even the smallest blood vessels within the colon. UConn\u2019s system can magnify segments of tissue and blood vessels allowing experts to see the tiniest changes in the colon years, or even decades before these changes could lead to dangerous polyps.<\/p>\n While in many cases, there are no obvious symptoms with colon cancer, there are some that can be warning signs and should be discussed with your physician. These include:<\/p>\n \u2022 Any major change in bowel habits \u201cDefining the causes and risk factors for early-onset colorectal cancer will likely help inform approaches for prevention, screening, and treatment,\u201d says Dr. Joel Levine,<\/a> co-director and founding director, Colon Cancer Prevention Program at UConn Health.<\/p>\n Factors that may increase your risk of colon cancer include:<\/p>\n Only about 3% of patients with a family history of colon cancer have inherited risk due to a mutated gene passed along the generations. UConn Health has an expert Genetics service that provides both testing and counseling for such patients or families. Most people with a family history share risk factors among family members so improving the lifestyle lowers risk over time.<\/p>\n You can take steps to reduce your risk of colon cancer by making changes in your everyday life:<\/p>\n Please see a doctor if you are concerned about colon cancer symptoms, preferably sooner if you have a family history of the disease. Acting quickly can potentially save your life.<\/p>\n If you are concerned about colon cancer or are seeking more information visit the Carole and Ray Neag Cancer Center<\/a> or the Colon Cancer Prevention Program.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, not including skin cancer, and the second leading cause of death in both men and women combined.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":182948,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2230,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2209],"class_list":["post-182934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer","category-uconn-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-29 07:16:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182934"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182951,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182934\/revisions\/182951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/182948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182934"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=182934"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=182934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 Blood in the stool that is either bright red, black, or tarry
\n\u2022 Unintentional weight loss
\n\u2022 Stools that are narrower than usual
\n\u2022 Diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
\n\u2022 General abdominal discomfort, such as frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, and\/or cramps
\n\u2022 Constant feeling of fatigue or tiredness
\n\u2022 New onset anemia diagnosed on routine lab work<\/p>\n\n
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