No one knows the exact causes of colon cancer. Doctors often cannot explain why one person develops this disease and another does not. However, it is clear that colon cancer is not contagious. No one can catch this disease from another person.
Research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop colon cancer. A risk factor is something that may increase the chance of developing a disease.
Studies have found the following risk factors for colon cancer:
Age over 50: colon cancer is more likely to occur as people get older. More than 90 percent of people with this disease are diagnosed after age 50. The average age at diagnosis is 72.
