The colon is a tube shaped organ, located in the abdomen, that starts at the end of the bowel and ends with the anus. Advanced Colon Cancer Symptoms It twists and turns a lot, so its length is over 4 feet. The functions of the colon are to digest the food, absorb the nutrient substances from it (proteins and aminoacids), and to create the concentrated fecal material, which is then stored and eliminated from the colon when the time comes. The end of the colon is called rectum. The rectum and the colon together form the large intestine.
When colon cancer occurs, tumors appear on the inner walls of the large intestine. There are two types of tumors – benign tumors, also called polyps, which are not dangerous, and malignant tumors, which are the cancer.
Polyps do not spread to other cells and tissues and they can be easily removed. Tumors on the other hand, can spread and cause life-threatening complications. Remember that a benign polyp will turn into a malignant tumor if it is not treated in time.
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