Understanding colon cancer risk: a review of determinants and implications
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
In 2024, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance reported that colon cancer remains in the top five most prevalent cancers within the United States, and the second main cause of cancer-related deaths. Epidemiological evidence shows that approximately half of colon cancer cases can be attributed to risk factors deemed as ‘modifiable,’ such as lifestyle and activity, low calcium intake, alcohol consumption, and excessive body fat. These factors promote carcinogenesis through increased inflammatory signals impacting downstream signaling pathways that regulate cellular processes for growth, survival and differentiation. High levels of inflammation are characteristics of both obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), though NAFLD contributes also through excess fat deposits in the liver. Conditions such as vitamin D deficiency promote tumor growth by changes in gene expression, cellular processes in the gastrointestinal system, and by promoting angiogenesis. Hyperinsulinemia, which then causes the over-secretion of hormone free insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), promotes tumor development through their anti-apoptotic effects. This thesis will discuss the contribution and roles these modifiable risk factors play in colon cancer development and the biological mechanisms underlying these associations as well as how lifestyle changes can help to reduce risk of the disease.
Description
2025