This disease occurs mostly in older stages.

§                 Inflammatory intestinal conditions. Long-standing inflammatory diseases of the colon, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, can increase your risk.

§                 Family history. You’re more likely to develop colorectal cancer if you have a parent, sibling or child with the disease. If many family members have colon cancer or rectal cancer, your risk is even greater. Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare hereditary disorder that causes you to develop hundreds of polyps in the lining of your colon and rectum. If these go untreated, you’ll likely develop colon cancer by age 40. Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is another hereditary disorder that can put you at high risk of developing colon cancer or rectal cancer at an early age. Unlike FAP, however, you may have relatively few polyps.

§                 Diet.

§                 A sedentary lifestyle. If you’re inactive, you’re more likely to develop colorectal cancer. This may be because when you’re inactive, waste stays in your colon longer. Getting regular physical activity may reduce your risk.

§                 Diabetes. People with diabetes have up to a 40 percent increased risk of developing colorectal cancer.

§                 Smoking. More than one in 10 fatal colon cancers may be caused by smoking. Once diagnosed with colorectal cancer, smokers face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of dying of the disease.

§                 Alcohol. Heavy use of alcohol may increase your odds of colorectal cancer.

§                 A personal history of colorectal cancer or polyps. If you’ve already had colorectal cancer or adenomatous polyps, you have a greater risk of colorectal cancer in the future.