Colon Colorectal Cancer

Cancer is a group of diseases in which there is abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. If left untreated, malignant (or cancerous) cells can spread to other parts of the body. Colorectal refers to the colon and rectum, which together make up the large intestine. This type of cancer can begin anywhere in the large intestine.

The majority of colorectal cancers begin as polyps, abnormal growths, inside the colon or rectum that may become cancers over a long period of time.

Colorectal cancer affects both men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, and is most often found in people aged 50 years or older. For men, this disease is the third most common cancer after prostate and lung cancers. For women, it is the third most common after breast and lung cancers.

Cancer of the colon or rectum is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. In 2005, more than 53,000 people in the United States died of colorectal cancer (26,781 men and 27,259 women).

Colon Cancer Symptoms

Colorectal cancer first develops with few, if any, symptoms. However, if symptoms are present, they may include:

Blood in or on the stool

• A change in bowel habits
• Stools that are narrower than usual
• General, unexplained stomach discomfort
• Frequent gas, pains or indigestion
• Unexplained weight loss
• Chronic fatigue

These symptoms can also be associated with many other health conditions. If you have any of these symptoms, discuss them with your doctor. Only your doctor can determine why you're having these symptoms.

A recent CDC study demonstrated that:

• Approximately 41.8 million average-risk people aged 50 or older have not been screened for colorectal cancer according to national guidelines.
  
  
• The U.S. health care system has enough capacity to conduct widespread screening of the unscreened population, using Fecal Ocult Blood test (FOBT) and diagnostic colonoscopy for those with a positive FOBT.
  
  
• Widespread screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy may take up to 10 years, depending on the proportion of available capacity used for colorectal cancer screening.

Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, but it doesn't have to be. If everybody aged 50 or older had regular screening tests, as many as 60% of deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented.

Colorectal Cancer screening saves lives. Screening can find precancerous polyps—abnormal growths in the colon or rectum—so that they can be removed before turning into cancer. Screening also helps find colorectal cancer at an early stage, when treatment often leads to a cure.

If you are aged 50 or older, or think you may be at higher than average risk for colorectal cancer, speak with your doctor about getting screened.

Prevention and Early Detection: Keys to Reducing Colorectal Cancer Deaths

• Reducing the number of deaths from colorectal cancer depends on detecting and removing precancerous colorectal polyps, as well as detecting and treating the cancer in its early stages.
• Colon cancer can be prevented by removing precancerous polyps or abnormal growths, which can be present in the colon for years before invasive cancer develops.
• When this disease is found early and treated, the 5-year relative survival rate is 90 percent. Because screening rates are low, less than 40 percent of colorectal cancers are found early.
• One U.S. clinical trial reported a 33 percent reduction in colorectal cancer deaths and a 20 percent reduction in colorectal cancer incidence among people offered an annual FOBT.

How to prevent colon cancer ...