National Institutes for Health (NIH), a Maryland-based US agency responsible for biomedical and public health research, notes colorectal cancer is America’s third most frequently diagnosed cancer in both men and women.

The American Cancer Society projects, this year, nearly 107,000 cases will occur with the majority affecting men. The NIH states amongst all cancer-related deaths, nine percent are attributed to colorectal cancer.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE DISEASE AND POSSIBLE CAUSES

Located in Rochester, Minn., Mayo Clinic research physicians and scientists state colorectal or colon cancer is a growth of cells that begins in a part of the large intestine called the colon. The colon is the first and longest part of the body’s large intestine, which is the last part of the digestive system. The digestive system breaks down food for the body to use.

Colon cancer typically affects older adults, though it can happen at any age. It usually begins as small clumps of cells, called polyps, which form inside the colon. Polyps generally aren’t cancerous, however, over time they can turn into cancer.

Mayo Clinic researchers state, “Colon cancer happens when colon cells develop changes in their DNA. A cell’s DNA holds instructions that tell the cell what to do, such as quickly multiply. The changes let the cells continue living when healthy cells die as part of their natural lifecycle.”

Mayo’s research report continued, “This process can cause too many cells, which might form a mass called a tumor. Cells can invade and destroy healthy body tissue. In time, the cells can break away and spread to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it’s called metastatic cancer.”

The Mayo report concluded, “Polyps often don’t cause symptoms. For this reason, doctors recommend regular screening tests to look for polyps in the colon. Finding and removing polyps can prevent colon cancer.”

STATISTICS: WHO IS AT RISK

Earlier this year, American Cancer Society research revealed colorectal cancer rates are significantly increasing among people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s – while declining for those aged 65 plus.

Connecticut’s Yale Cancer Center research noted colorectal cancer tends to be more aggressive in younger adults and is frequently seen at an advanced stage. Yale’s research added that since the 1990s young adult colorectal cancer is annually increasing at a rate of two percent.

Baltimore, Maryland’s Johns Hopkins Medicine data indicates the colorectal cancer rate tends to occur more in those 50 years of age and older. The American Cancer Society states colorectal cancer occurrence is higher in men than women.

Johns Hopkins and the American Cancer Society both offer the following heritage and lifestyle factors that can increase colorectal cancer risk:

∫ A family history of the disease

∫ Sedentary lifestyle (physical inactivity)

∫ Being overweight or obese

∫ Low-fiber, high-fat diet

∫ Diabetic

∫ Heavy alcohol use

∫ Smoking

∫ Your ethnic background

∫ Digestive diseases such as Crohn’s, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis

∫ Not fully validated – but highly probable, are environmental and geographic concerns.

The American Cancer Society reveals for Michigan a colorectal cancer mortality rate, regardless of age or ethnicity, for men at nearly 17 percent with women at 11 percent.

Further American Cancer Society research on colorectal screening rates, by each state, for age 45 plus, all sexes, and ethnicities reveals California is the nation’s lowest at 53 percent and Massachusetts and the District of Columbia the highest at 70 percent. Michigan stands at 66 percent.

GENERAL DETECTION AND TREATMENT

Consulting with your primary care physician or a colon (digestive) specialist is a vital conversation. In addition, detection can occur with a home test, which research indicates a 92 percent success rate of determining cancerous DNA in your stools (body waste). However, the “gold standard” is to undergo a colonoscopy where your entire colon is examined by a small camera inserted into your rectum.

The NIH and other cancer care leadership organizations comment treatment depends upon the size, location, and size of the cancerous region. Treatments include surgery and radiation therapy and medicines, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

Additional

Information:

∫ National Institutes for Health – www.nih.gov

∫ American Cancer Society – www.cancer.org

∫ Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – www.michigan.gov/mdhhs

∫ American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons – www.fascrs.org

∫ Your personal primary care physician or County Health Department

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF

COLORECTAL CANCER

∫ A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days.

∫ A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that is not relieved by having one.

∫ Rectal bleeding with bright red blood

∫ Blood in the stool, which might make it look dark brown or black.

∫ Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain

∫ Weakness and fatigue

∫ Losing weight without trying

Source: Provided by the American Cancer Society