There is growing evidence that a high fat and low fibre diet is related to colon cancer. The level of risk depends on the number of close relatives with colon cancer and their age of developing cancer. Sometimes, symptoms appear only after the colon cancer has spread. On the other hand, in many cases these symptoms do not mean cancer, but tests may be needed to make sure. The older you are, the more likely that the symptoms could mean cancer.
Polyps are mushroom-shaped growths on the inner lining of the large bowel.
Although they are non-cancerous, one type of polyp called adenoma is the precursor of colon cancer. If untreated, some adenoma will grow bigger and become cancerous in a number of years. Polyposis is a hereditary condition in which an individual develops hundreds of polyps in the large bowel. For an average person, the risk of colon cancer increases with age from 50 years onwards. Individuals having close relatives with colon cancer are at-risk.