When you hear the word cancer, what immediately comes to mind? I believe the word you're looking for is "death." All kinds of cancer are thought of in this manner, and rightfully so. Since we have grownup thinking that cancer is irreversible, and therefore fatal.

Colon cancer, or colorectal cancer, is one of those dreaded diseases. Everyone should be aware of the symptoms or the signs of colon cancer.

Initial signs of colon cancer would be irregular bowel movement, smaller bodily excrements than normal, unexpected leg cramps, sudden weight loss, excessive vomiting, pain in the abdomen, and constant fatigue and exhaustion. More dangerous signs would be blood in the feces, and bleeding of the lower intestines or rectum. Now, this doesn't mean that just because you have blood in your stool or blood in the intestines automatically makes you a certified colon cancer person; but you are getting close. But be just as observant, nonetheless.

Unfortunately, a person can actually have colon cancer and NOT have any of the above symptoms or any signs of colon cancer. And this is not unusual. Even after going through a physical exam, a person may not show signs of colon cancer. The only way a doctor might have a slightest inkling that there could be a problem is when after the physical examinations, he finds a mass of tissue in the abdomen or the stomach area.

One way of being sure of what is really happening inside your, is through a process called colonoscopy. This will determine s there really is an infection building in there and in what stage it is in.

And even through all these, it is not a given that a person has colon cancer. Here enters what the medical field calls, risk factors. A few examples of those factors might be age (especially those over 50 years old), genetics (if you have family that have contracted cancer before), and others.

The Center for Disease Control is an organization which helps individuals over the age of 50 and have limited or no health insurance at all. They even offer screenings for the disease for those that are interested.

Once you learn the symptoms and signs of colon cancer, you are one step ahead of the game. This disease is serious so we must always be on the lookout for signs of colon cancer.