I wanted to know whether colon cancer is a genetic disease?

My grandpa has colon cancer . Is there any chance that it might affect us too...

Polyps are growths which develop in the colon and other parts of the body as well. They vary in size and appearance. They may look like a wart when small and when they grow they may appear like a cherry on a stem or fig. They are important because they can with time turn into cancer. Sometimes they can bleed causing anemia. A polyp is defined as a growth that projects, often on a stalk, from the lining of the intestine or rectum. Polyps of the colon and rectum are almost always benign and usually produce no symptoms. They may, however, cause painless rectal bleeding or bleeding not apparent to the naked eye. There may be single or multiple polyps. The incidence of polyps increases with age.

Both polyps as well as colon cancer occur much more frequently in industrialized, western societies. Diets low in fruits, vegetables, protein from vegetable sources and roughage are associated with a higher incidence of polyps. Persons smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day are 250% more likely to have polyps as opposed to nonsmokers who otherwise have the same risks. Persons who drink have an 87% increased likelihood of having polyps compared to nondrinkers and those who both smoke and drink are 400% more likely to develop polyps compared to their peers who neither smoke nor drink. There is increasing evidence that diets high in calcium can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. An even more potent agent in preventing colon cancer is the eating of vegetables. Apparently it isn't the fiber but it is likely that phytochemicals in vegetables act to prevent cancer. People who exercise daily are less likely to develop colon cancer. Polyps tend to cluster in families so that having a first degree relative ( sibling, parent or child ) with colon polyps raises ones chances of having polyps. The familial cancer syndromes such as Lynch Syndromes I and II ( rare ) carry a high risk of the development of colon and other cancers. Family adenomatous polyposis or FAP, is a rare condition characterized by thousands of adenomatous polyps throughout the large bowel. People with 1st degree relatives with inflammatory bowel disease are at increased risk and those who have a first degree relative with colon cancer have a fourfold increase in risk over the general population and should be screened earlier with colonoscopy and more often than the proposed outline for screening suggested by the American Cancer Society. There is an association of cancer risk with meat, fat or protein consumption which appear to break down in the gut into cancer causing compounds called carcinogens. A personal history of ovarian, endometrial, or breast cancer also appear to be risk factors. Source(s): Don't panic! Colon cancer has an excellent cure rate. Colon cancer is a very common cancer second only to lung cancer. 129,400 new cases of colorectal cancer are estimated for 1999 with 56,600 deaths from CRC. The strongest risk factor for colon cancer is age. The (Current Statistics on CRC)incidence rates rise from 10 per 100,000 at age 40-45 to 300 per 100,000 at age 75-80. The cumulative life time risk for the disease is 1 in 20. Men are more likely to develop Colon Cancer than women. Black Americans are more likely than White Americans to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Smokers, drinkers, sedentary and obese persons are more likely to develop colon cancer.

Nope. Cancer of any type is not genetic.
No I have been assured by a gastroenterologist that these type of cancers are non hereditary.
when someone has a positive family history of cancer,he or she can have the disease in the future,so yes i think it is genetic one.
Colon Cancer is occasionally inhereted.According to MD Anderson in Texas: " Approximately 5% of all colon (large bowel) cancers are directly caused by inherited genetic abnormalities. These hereditary colon cancers often feature colonic polyps or growths that eventually become cancerous. There are several kinds, including familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and a variant called Gardner's syndrome. Another type, hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), features few if any polyps. Relatively rare hereditary conditions such as Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and juvenile polyposis are not cancer or precancerous conditions but confer on the patient a greater than normal risk of developing colon cancer. Many families with higher than normal rates of colon cancer have one or more of these conditions. While non-hereditary ("sporadic") colon cancer rarely occurs before age 40, hereditary colon cancers often occur in younger people.

Experts in hereditary colon cancers strongly recommend that people with unusually high rates of colon cancers in their families be surveyed regularly for cancerous growths, even if they have no symptoms. Colonoscopy is the most effective and most widely used method of surveillance for hereditary colon cancers. In colonoscopy, a narrow flexible tube is inserted into the colon through the rectum. At the end of the tube is a tiny light and video camera which allows the physician to see the inside of the colon.
Colonic polyps, or adenomas, are relatively easy to diagnose by colonoscopy. FAP and Gardner's syndrome are characterized by hundreds, even thousands, of polyps. If the disease is caught in the precancerous stage, cancer can be prevented by removing the colon surgically. If the disease has progressed to the cancerous stages, surgery may or may not be an effective treatment. In families known to carry a gene for one of these diseases, surveillance for polyps should begin at age 10 to 12."
You should be vigilant and learn more about colon cancer, so you can possibly prevent serious illness for yourself.
The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center.