31st December 2024

Overview of colorectal cancer

This is the third most common cancer and second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. It is usually adenocarcinoma.

Approximately 25% of the population are at increased risk, including those with:

• Two or more first-degree relatives with colorectal cancer, or one if the disease was diagnosed under 55 years
• Extensive, long-standing inflammatory bowel disease
• Family history of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), in which the inherited risk for developing colorectal cancer is autosomal dominant