Dietary and Lifestyle Measures to Lower Colorectal Cancer Risk

A 65-year-old accountant is referred for open access colonoscopy for colon cancer screening. He has not had a prior colonoscopy. He has no gastrointestinal complaints except for mild constipation. He has hyperlipidemia treated with a statin, and adult onset diabetes treated with oral hypoglycemic agents. His older brother has a history of colorectal adenomas. He smokes 1 pack of cigarettes and drinks 2 beers each day. His lunch typically consists of fast food hamburgers eaten at his desk. On examination he is obese (body mass index of 32) with a waist circumference of 52 inches. His colonoscopy demonstrates a circumferential lesion in the sigmoid colon that proved to be a stage II colorectal cancer. On a return visit the patient asks “What factors cause colon cancer and what can I do to lower my risk?”