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Before learning about colorectal cancer, it is important to know where the colon and rectum are located. The colon and rectum are at the lower end of the digestive system. The colon, a muscular tube about five feet long, absorbs fluid to form solid waste. The rectum, the last six inches of the digestive system, serves as a warehouse for this waste until it is pushed out of the body.
Causes. Excluding very rare types, colon cancer develops in the cells lining the inside of the colon and/or rectum. The colon, or large intestine, is a curving structure that continues the digestion of food from the small intestine, absorbs liquid out of the stool and carries it down to the rectum for elimination.