Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer often has no symptoms, which is one reason being tested is so important — even for people who feel perfectly healthy - Katie Couric
image by: Eric Norris
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Colorectal cancer is killing more 20- to 30-year-olds. We now have one clue about why
It’s one of the mysteries that has puzzled cancer epidemiologists: Why are younger and younger people becoming sick with colorectal cancer?
In 2017, researchers at the American Cancer Society showed colorectal cancer is rising sharply in younger generations. For people in their 20s and 30s, colon cancer rates increased 1 to 2 percent between the mid-1990s to 2013. And rectal cancer rate shot up even more dramatically — rising 3 percent per year in the same age cohort.
Overall, those born in 1990 have double the risk of developing colon cancer and four times the risk of getting rectal cancer compared to those born around 1950. So in response to the alarming trend,…
Resources
Charcuterie’s link to colon cancer confirmed by French authorities
Blow for industry as government backs WHO data and vows to cut additives in ham and cured sausages.
Colorectal cancer is rising among Gen X, Y & Z. Here are 5 ways to protect yourself
Statistically, people in their 20s and 30s are much less likely to get colorectal cancer compared to people 50 and older, but cases in this age group are rising. They're expected to increase by 90% by 2030, says Dr. Kimmie Ng, who directs the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana Farber Cancer Center.
Is Eating Deli Meat Really That Bad for You?
Even small amounts of processed meat increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
The American Cancer Society Wants You to Start Colorectal Cancer Screening Earlier
The ACS is now recommending that adults at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screening for it at age 45. The new recommendations are a "much needed change," Scott R. Steele, M.D., colorectal surgeon and chairman of the Department of Colorectal Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF. “Our goal is to prevent colorectal cancer, or at a minimum detect it at an early stage. This is a collaborative, proactive and well-thought out change in the recommendations and hopefully will lead to the intended result.”
What Young People Need to Know About Colon Cancer
Most cases of colon and rectal cancer are indeed found in people 50 and over. But there has been a sharp increase of colorectal cancer in adults as young as their 20s and 30s, with the proportion of cases found in adults under 50 increasing to 11 percent in 2013, up from 6 percent in 1990, according to the American Cancer Society.
Why certain diets may increase your cancer risk
The link between inflammatory diets and colorectal cancer, explained.
Bacon Causes Cancer? Sort of. Not Really. Ish.
Perhaps no two words together are more likely to set the internet aflame than BACON and CANCER. So when the World Health Organization classified processed meat as a group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco— Hold on. Let me stop right here. Eating bacon is not as bad as smoking when it comes to cancer. Just no.
Colorectal Cancer Screening Saves Lives
I hope readers — after hearing about the wild cost variations for colonoscopy and the horror stories of people getting stuck with sizable portions of huge bills — don’t throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water by questioning the essential value of colorectal cancer screening.
Study: Fixing a single gene turns colorectal cancer cells into normal cells
And the finding has implications for other types of cancer. Pancreatic cancer, for instance, presents a similar case, where mutations in a single gene are found in 90% of tumors. A similar kind of investigation could yield treatments for it, too.
Vitamins Will Not Keep You Out of My Cancer Clinic
As a medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers at a research institution, every day I see patients suffering from terminal colorectal cancer who thought they could ignore their doctors’ advice and protect themselves from cancer by taking vitamins and other supplements. The medical literature has repeatedly proven them wrong.
Can A Simple Poop Test Replace Your Colonoscopy?
There are three main ways to detect colon cancer. A colonoscopy is accurate but expensive ($2,200 on average). A fecal immunochemical test, which looks for hidden blood in a stool sample, costs about $60 but is more likely to miss cancer and must be taken every year. Then there is Exact's Cologuard for $649.
A Cancer Trial’s Unexpected Result: Remission in Every Patient
The study was small, and experts say it needs to be replicated. But for 18 people with rectal cancer, the outcome led to “happy tears.”
Freenome Sets Sights On Blood Test To Detect Colon Cancer
What makes Freenome different is that instead of looking only for circulating DNA from tumors, as other firms are doing, the company is looking at other chemicals in the blood that may mark a tumor's presence, too. It detects patterns in all these chemicals using artificial intelligence.
New research drives home how crazy it is that triclosan is still in hundreds of everyday products
The antimicrobial chemical triclosan is in thousands of products that we use daily: hand soaps, toothpastes, body wash, kitchenware, and even some toys. Work in our lab suggests that this compound may have widespread health risks, including aggravating inflammation in the gut and promoting the development of colon cancer by altering the gut microbiota, the community of microbes found in our intestines.
Study: More Than 14,000 Americans Die Each Year From This Preventable Cancer
Not all medical tests justify the risks they pose. In fact, some can be downright dangerous. Whole-body CT scans, for example, have been known to expose healthy patients to cancer-causing radiation. Then again, there are some tests so safe and so necessary that it can be dangerous, even deadly, for patients not to participate. Screening for colon cancer is one example.
Colorectal cancer is killing more 20- to 30-year-olds. We now have one clue about why
The burden of the disease is shifting to younger generations — and puzzling researchers.
ColoGuard
Cologuard is an easy to use, noninvasive colon cancer screening test based on the latest advances in stool DNA science. It can be used by men and women 50 years of age and older who are at average risk for colon cancer. Cologuard finds both cancer and precancer.
Beating Bowel Cancer
a leading UK charity for bowel cancer patients, working to raise awareness of symptoms, promote early diagnosis and encourage open access to treatment choice for those affected by bowel cancer.
Bowel Cancer UK
Bowel Cancer UK is a leading charity dedicated to raising awareness of bowel cancer, improving the quality of life of those affected by the disease, and, ultimately, reducing deaths from the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
Colon & Rectal Cancer
A Comprehensive Guide for Patients & Families
Colon Cancer Alliance
The Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) is an organization of colon and rectal cancer survivors, their families, caregivers, people genetically predisposed to the disease and the medical community.
Colon Cancer Coalition
We invite you to Get Your Rear in Gear and bring understanding, raise awareness, and eliminate the fear of colon cancer. Our grassroots efforts to drive early intervention and detection of colon cancer on a national level are collaborative at heart; we know change comes as we partner with others to connect people to resources that help them live strong and healthy lives.
Colorectal Cancer Awareness
Even as the second leading cause of cancer in the United States for men and women combined, colorectal cancer is one of the most curable cancers, when detected at an early stage.
Colorectal Cancer Canada
Dedicated to increasing awareness of colorectal cancer, supporting patients, and advocating on their behalf.
Fight ColoRectal Cancer
Fight Colorectal Cancer demands a cure for colon and rectal cancer. We educate and support patients, push for changes in policy that will increase and improve research, and empower survivors to raise their voices against the status quo.
Fight ColoRectal Cancer Support Community
The Fight Colorectal Cancer Support Community connects patients, family members and caregivers to empower them to become advocates for themselves and the cause...
StopColonCancerNow.com
Colon cancer is both preventable and highly treatable when detected early. There are a number of screening options to check for colon cancer, but a colonoscopy is considered the gold standard.
Susie's Cause
The Susan Cohan Kasdas Colon Cancer Foundation...The International Voice of Colon Cancer.
The Colon Club
Our main goal is to educate as many people as possible, as early as possible, about colorectal cancer in interesting and out-of-the-box ways. Our wishes are for people to have "colon talk" in their everyday lives, to know the risk factors and symptoms, and to get screened when it is appropriate for them.
Cancer.org
All about Colon & Rectum cancer.
CancerConnect.com
Understanding treatment options, accessing new and innovative therapies through clinical trials, as well as understanding the role of supportive care and complementary and alternative medicine are essential.
EverydayHealth
Half of colorectal cancer cancers have already spread to the liver by the time of diagnosis....
HealthCommunities.com
As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others on colorectal cancer.
Healthline
Cancer of the rectum is the disease characterized by the development of malignant cells in the lining or epithelium of the rectum.
MayoClinic.org
About 112,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer annually, and about 41,000 new cases of rectal cancer are diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
MedicineNet.com
Information & Colon Cancer Related Articles
MedlinePlus
Cancer of the colon or rectum is also called colorectal cancer. In the United States, it is the fourth most common cancer in men and women. Caught early, it is often curable.
National Cancer Institute
Information about Colorectal cancer treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccine therapy
Obesity Tied to Colon Cancer Risk in Younger Women
The higher a woman’s body mass index, the greater her risk for early-onset colorectal cancer.
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
When it comes to the decline in death rates due to cancer, the most dramatic drop has been in colon cancer deaths. More people are getting screened and there are more drugs to treat it.
Siteman Cancer Center
Read about colon and rectal cancer in general, including information about treatment and staging
Up To Date
UpToDate's extensive resources on colorectal cancer.
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