What does colorectal mean?

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Colorectal is a word which means 'the colon and rectum'. The colon and rectum are parts of the gut (gastrointestinal tract). The gut starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. When we eat or drink the food and liquid travel down the oesophagus (gullet) into the stomach. The stomach churns up the food and then passes it into the small intestine.

The small intestine (sometimes called the small bowel) is several metres long and is where food is digested and absorbed. Undigested food, water and waste products are then passed into the large intestine (sometimes called the large bowel). The main part of the large intestine is called the colon which is about 150 cm long. This is split into four sections, the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon. Some water and salts are absorbed into the body from the colon. The colon leads into the rectum (back passage) which is about 15 cm long. The rectum stores faeces (stools) before they are passed out from the anus.