Like a person with many names, colon cancer can also be called large bowel cancer or colorectal cancer. If left untreated, colon cancer can grow larger and spreads through the wall to the outer surface of the bowel. It may also spread via the blood stream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body. Secondary growths may develop in distant organs, such as the liver or lung.
Colon cancer is one of the commonest cancers affecting both man and women.
In Hong Kong, it is the second commonest cancer and the third commonest cause of cancer death. Every year, more than 2,400 Hong Kong people are found to have colon cancer. People over 40 years of age are more likely to develop this cancer, and the risk increases as we grow older. The average age of colon cancer sufferers in Hong Kong is 60 years old. Colon is a muscular tube forming the last two metres of the body's digestive system.