News and Features Related to Colorectal Cancer

Virtual Colonoscopy: Who Should Get It?

June 16, 2009 -- Virtual colonoscopy may be an acceptable screening alternative to traditional colonoscopy for some, but not all, patients with a higher-than-normal risk for colorectal cancer, new research suggests. The noninvasive screening method, which uses X-rays and computers to produce 3-D ima
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Colorectal Cancer Rates Rising in Young Adults

June 10, 2009 -- Colorectal cancer rates are rising in people younger than 50, American Cancer Society researchers report. That finding, published in the June edition of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, conflicts with falling colorectal cancer rates among U.S. adults 50 and older. Rout
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Colorectal Cancer Rates Up; Blame Obesity

June 10, 2009 -- Increasing Westernization is the likely culprit in dramatically increasing incidence rates of colorectal cancer around the world, a new study says. The trend is related to increased consumption of fatty foods in developing countries, and less physical activity -- resulting in obesit
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Gene Test Predicts Return of Colon Cancer

May 14, 2009 -- A test that characterizes each tumor by its genetic signature may soon help some colon cancer patients decide whether to have chemotherapy after surgery or whether they can safely forgo additional treatment. Called Oncotype DX, the test predicts the chance that cancer will come back
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Calcium May Cut Cancer Risk

Feb. 23, 2009 -- Here’s yet another reason to bone up on calcium. It may help reduce your risk of cancer. A new study shows that older men and women who got the most calcium from food and supplements had a 16% lower risk of colorectal and other cancers of the digestive system than those who got the
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Active Life May Cut Colon Cancer Risk

Feb. 13, 2009 -- People who are physically active are less likely to develop colon cancer, a new research review confirms. "This is a robust association and gives all the more evidence that physical activity is truly protective against colon cancer," researcher Kathleen Wolin, ScD, says in a news re
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'Tis the Season for Colorectal Screening?

Dec. 19, 2008 -- Merry Christmas, and get a colorectal exam! Sending reminders for colorectal screening exams during the December holiday season or near individuals' birthdays increases attendance, a new study shows. The possible reason, say the study's authors, could be because birthdays and holida
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Fighting Colorectal Cancer in Blacks

Dec. 15, 2008 -- Despite "unprecedented" progress in reducing both the incidence and death rates of colorectal cancer, the gap between African-Americans and whites is still widening, the American Cancer Society says in a new report. Death rates for colorectal cancer are about 45% higher in African-A
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Fat Gene Linked to Colon Cancer

Sept. 30, 2008 -- A fat hormone gene is linked to colon cancer, researchers find. The finding provides part of the answer to a big question: What triggers colon cancer? To get at this question, Boris Pasche, MD, PhD, and colleagues followed a trail of clues that implicates adiponectin, a hormone mad
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Racial Disparities With Colon Cancer

Sept. 23, 2008 -- When compared with whites, African-Americans get colon cancer more often and die from it more often, according to research. Why the disparity? And what can be done about it? That's what researchers from the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland wanted to find out. The
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