Other colorectal cancers

Some, much less frequent, colorectal cancers start from cells other than the mucosa goblet cells.

Examples include:

Carcinoid tumors
Originate in hormone-producing cells in the intestine tumores carcinoides

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Cancers from cells of the immune system, they can develop in the colon or rectum

Sarcomas
Cancers that grow from the muscles, blood vessels or other internal tissues of the colon or rectum (but not the mucosa).

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Further to the cancers already described, some diseases that affect the colon can increase the risk of cancer.
This is the case of chronic inflammatory diseases that affect the colon and rectum called inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

IBD is not the same as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Unlike IBD, IBS does not cause inflammation, ulcers or other damage to the bowel.

The most common IBD examples are Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, both associated with long-term inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. People suffering from these conditions often develop dysplasia (abnormal development) of the intestinal epithelium.

Epithelium – layer of thin tissue that covers the body's surface or cavities

This means that under the microscope cells with abnormal characteristics can be seen. These abnormal cells have high risk of degenerating into cancer.

For this reason, if you suffer from IBD, it might be advised to start colorectal cancer screening earlier and more frequently than what is usually recommended.