Medical Health Encyclopedia

Polyps. Polyps are tissue growths, usually benign, that develop in the color or rectum, most often in patients over 50 years of age. When pathologists examine polyps removed from the colon, they classify them as either hyperplastic or adenomatous. Both types are benign, but some adenomas will become malignant. As a preventive measure, polyps should be removed (polypectomy).

Ureterosigmoidostomy. People who have had ureterosigmoidostomy, a surgical procedure to correct a birth defect in the bladder or to treat some bladder cancers, may develop tumors near the site of the defect, which is chronically exposed to urine and feces. Such patients have a 5% to 10% chance of developing colon cancer 15 to 30 years after the operation.

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Diabetes. Many studies have identified a possible association between type 2 diabetes and colon cancer. Both diseases share common risk factors of obesity and physical inactivity, but diabetes may independently predispose for colon cancer. Data from a case control study of 50,000 U.S. veterans presented at the 2004 Digestive Disease Week conference found that patients with diabetes were 32 percent more likely to develop colon cancer than similar patients who did not have diabetes.