Colon is the medical term for the large intestine.
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, second only to lung cancer. In 1994, an estimated 149,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and an estimated 56,000 patients will die of the disease. An individual has about a one in 20 lifetime risk of developing colon cancer. Only about three percent of colon cancers occur in persons under age 40. In the United States, both incidence and mortality rates have begun to decline.