Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman dies of colon cancer: Here is everything you need to know about the condition

1. Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer at the age of 43, his family said in a statement. The actor was struggling with the disease for the past four years since he got diagnosed with it. The actor passed away in his home at Los Angeles with his wife and his family by his side. He was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2016.

Boseman became everyone's favourite after he played the Marvel Superhero Black Panther in the 2016's Captain American: Civil War.

Here is everything you need to know about the cancer that took his life.

2. Colon cancer starts from the large intestine (colon). The colon is the final part of our digestive tract. The cancer usually affects people of older age, though it can happen to people of any age. It usually begins as small, noncancerous clump cells called polyps that get formed inside the colon. Over time, some of these polyps may become colon cancers.

Polyps are very small and produce a few symptoms. That is why people diagnosed with polyps are advised to get regular screening to help prevent the development of colon cancer. In some cases, these polyps are removed before they turn into cancer.

Colon cancer is also called colorectal cancer, a term that combines colon cancer and rectal cancer as it begins in the rectum.

​3. Symptoms of colon cancer

Many people who suffer from colon cancer do not experience any symptoms during the early stages of the disease. When symptoms start appearing, they vary depending on the size of cancer's size and its location in your intestines.

A continuous change in your bowel habits, including the change in the consistency of your stool, diarrhoea and constipation Blood in your stool or rectal bleeding

Continuous abdominal discomfort like gas, pain or cramps.

Feeling of unable to empty the bowel completely

Unexplained weight loss, fatigue and weakness

4. Causes of colon cancer:

Scientists and doctors are not certain about what causes colon cancer.

It starts developing when healthy cells in the colon develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. healthy cells grow and get divided equally in your body. When a cell's DNA gets damaged it becomes cancerous, the cells continue to divide even when cells aren't divided. When the cells accumulate, it forms a tumour.

When cancer tissues grow they destroy the normal healthy cells nearby. Cancerous cells can travel to other parts of the body and form deposits there (metastasis).

5. ​Risk factor for colon cancer:

There are several factors that increase your risk of colon cancer, some of them are:

Age: Though anyone can get colon cancer, the majority of people who get detected with it are older than 50. Studies have found that colon cancer is increasing in people younger than 50 years, but doctors are not sure why.

African-American race: Studies have found that people of African-American race are at greater risk of colon cancer than people of other races.

Inflammatory intestinal conditions: Inflammatory disease of the colon, like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, increase your risk of cancer.

Family history of colon cancer: One is more likely to develop if any of your blood relatives have the disease. If more than one person in the family has had it, you are at even greater risk.

High-fat and low-fibre diet: A typical western diet puts one at risk of colon.

6. Prevention: Screening

People at the risk of colon cancer should start getting the screening done at the age of 50. People with a family history should start getting their screening even earlier.

Lifestyle changes to reduce the risk

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, not smoking, drinking moderately and keeping active on most days of the week are some of the healthy lifestyle habits that decrease your risk of colon cancer.