Colon Pictures

Here's a gallery of pictures and diagrams of the human colon.

The area in red is the colon, shown in comparison to the organs around it.

The colon is made up of several parts. There's the ascending colon, which can be seen on the far left in this diagram. The part of the colon that crosses the middle of the picture is known as the transverse colon. Finally, on the far right of the picture is the descending colon, and the sigmoid colon. For descriptive purposes, the colon is sometimes also divided into right colon and left colon.  

This is a drawing of the outside of a healthy colon. Notice the s-shaped section near the bottom right. This is known as the sigmoid colon. The small, finger-like structure to the far left, at the end of the colon, is the appendix. 

The primary function of the colon is storing solid wastes that have already been processed by the stomach and intestines. It also reclaims water from waste material that passes through it, and absorbs some vitamins, including vitamin K. 

This is a photo, taken during a colonoscopy, of the inside of a healthy colon. A colonoscopy is called the "gold standard" for detecting colon polyps (see below) and colon cancer.

During a colonoscopy, a surgeon inserts a long fexible tube into the rectum. The tube contains a video camera and a surgical device which can remove any polyps the surgeon finds. 

This is a drawing of a colon polyp inside the colon. This is approximately what a doctor would see while doing a colonoscopy. Polyps are not cancerous by themselves, but they may be a precursor to colon cancer. They are normally removed by the surgeon during the colonoscopy. 

Polyps look something like mushrooms, but sometimes they're flat or even recessed into the walls of the colon.

This is an inside view of a colon with a cancerous tumor. As mentioned elsewhere on this website, there are very few symptoms of colon cancer in the early stages. That's why regular screening and detection is important, especially for those over age 50 or anyone with colon cancer in their family history.

The American Cancer Society reports that there are approximately new colon cancer cases diagnosed each year in the United States alone.  For more information on the causes and symptoms of colon cancer, see a related article by clicking on colon cancer. 

This is a diagram of the colon showing a cancerous tumor inside. This is the kind of tumor that would be revealed by a colonoscopy.

There are a number of other tests that can be used to detect colon cancer. For additional information, click on colon cancer prevention. Also click on colon cancer treatment.

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