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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, November 20, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, November 20, 2009
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Cancer involves the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that have mutated from normal tissues. This growth can kill when these cells prevent normal function of vital organs or spread throughout the body, damaging essential systems. Colon and rectum cancers, which are sometimes referred to together as "colorectal cancer," arise from the lining of the large intestine. When cancer arises from the lining of an organ like the large intestine, it is called a carcinoma.
Cancer of the colon or rectum is the third most common type of cancer for both men and women (after breast and lung for women, and prostate and lung for men). According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 145,290 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed, and in 2005 accounted for approximately 55,000 cancer deaths. The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is five percent, and greater then 90% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed after age 50.
Because the vast majority of colorectal cancers are thought to arise from precancerous polyps known as adenomas, colorectal cancer is a potentially preventable disease with adequate screening and early detection. Age and risk appropriate screening combined with the application of endoscopic removal of pre-malignant lesions interrupts the adenoma to carcinoma sequence, and prevents the development of cancer. Screening is based on patient's age, the identification of risk factors, or the presence of clinical warning signs and symptoms
Due to increased colorectal cancer screening and improved treatment after diagnosis, over the past decade there has been a reduction in the number of new cases and fewer deaths due to colorectal cancer.
This article is a NetWellness exclusive. 
Last Reviewed: Feb 18, 2008
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Gregory S Cooper, MD Professor Ireland Cancer Center Gastroenterology Division University Hospitals School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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Timothy O'Brien, MD Director and Associate Professor Cancer Care Center MetroHealth Medical Center School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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