Daytime Online

Colorectal Cancer Awarness Month

ADVERTISEMENT

Daytime

Published: March 3, 2009

Updated: 03/04/2009 12:06 pm

Colorectal cancer begins in either the colon or the rectum. The colon and rectum form part of the body's digestive system, which separates nutrients and waste from food and stores the latter until it can be passed out of the body. The colon has four sections: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon and the sigmoid colon. Cancer can start in any portion of the colon or the rectum. About 95 percent of colorectal cancers are adenocarcinomas, which are cancers of the cells lining the inside of the colon and rectum.

Colorectal cancer is more likely to spread or come back if it is in a later, more advanced stage when it is first discovered. Recurrent colorectal cancer is cancer that has come back, or recurred, months or years after treatment. Metastatic colorectal cancer is cancer that has spread, or metastasized, through either the bloodstream or the lymph node system, to other parts of the body, such as the liver, lung, or ovary.

Disease Prevalence
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death and the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2008 there will be more than 148,000 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed and nearly 50,000 deaths
More than 60 percent of colorectal cancers have metastasized by the time they are diagnosed
Colorectal cancers are rare in young people
Every 3 minutes, a person in the United States will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer
Every 10 minutes, someone dies of colorectal cancer

Risk Factors
Previous incidence of colorectal cancer
History of intestinal polyps
History of chronic inflammatory bowel disease
Family history of colorectal cancer or inherited genetic mutations
Obesity
Following a high-fat diet
Age (risk increases over age 50)
Little or no physical activity
Cigarette smoking
Diabetes
Signs and Symptoms
Prolonged changes in bowel habits including diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool
Constant need to make a bowel movement that is not relieved by doing so
Rectal bleeding or blood in the stool
Cramping or steady abdominal (stomach area) pain
Weakness and fatigue
Treatment Options3
Surgery
Radiation therapy (for rectal cancers)
Chemotherapy
Targeted therapies

Survival Rates
Five-year survival for early stage colorectal cancer is 90 percent
Five-year survival once colorectal cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or nearby organs is 68 percent
Five-year survival once colorectal cancer has spread to distant organs (lung, liver) is 10 percent

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT