News Related to Colorectal Cancer

1. Vitamin D May Up Colon Cancer Survival
   

   June 18, 2008 -- Abundant levels of vitamin D may help patients with colon cancer live longer. Researchers with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health have found that patients with colon cancer who were among the top 25% in levels of vitamin D before being diagnosed

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2. Colon Cancer Survival Has Family Link
   

   June 3, 2008 -- Advanced colon cancer patients with a family history of the disease are more likely to be cured with treatment than patients with no family link, new research suggests. Compared to patients with no family history, those with relatives who've had colorectal cancer were less likely to

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3. Gene Testing Predicts Response to Erbitux
   

   June 2, 2008 (Chicago) -- For the first time, doctors have used a molecular test to pinpoint which people with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer are most likely to benefit from the targeted therapy Erbitux. The findings bring cancer doctors one step closer to their goal of personalized medicine, in

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4. Earlier Colon Cancer Screening?
   

   May 15, 2008 -- On your 50th birthday, you'll get a present from your doctor -- a referral to colon cancer screening, preferably by colonoscopy. But a new study suggests this gift might do more good if it arrives years earlier. Most people don't get colon cancer before they're 60. Although colon can

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5. Colonoscopy Prep Worse Than Procedure
   

   May 16, 2008 -- Preparing for colonoscopy is more uncomfortable than the procedure itself, a new poll shows. In colonoscopy, a doctor guides a thin, flexible tube capped with a tiny camera through the colon to look for tumors or other abnormalities. Colonoscopy or other colon cancer screening tests

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6. Drug Combo Stops Recurrent Colon Polyps
   

   April 15, 2008 (San Diego) -- A combination of the targeted anticancer agent DFMO and the antiarthritis drug sulindac reduces the risk of recurrent colon polyps by up to 95%, researchers report. Importantly, the combination was associated with less toxicity than chemotherapy, says study head Frank M

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7. Avastin May Stop Rectal Cancer Spread
   

   April 15, 2008 (San Diego) -- Adding the cancer drug Avastin to standard treatment stopped cancer spread in 22 of 24 patients with rectal tumors, researchers report. The patients were given Avastin, chemotherapy, and radiation prior to surgery to have their tumors removed. Three years later, all the

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8. Colon Cancer Tests Catching On
   

   March 13, 2008 -- Getting a colon cancer test has become more common for people aged 50 and older, but less so for minorities. The CDC reported that news today, based on national health studies done from 2002 to 2006.  Colon cancer screening is recommended starting at age 50 for people who aren't at

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9. New Colon Cancer Screening Guidelines
   

   March 6, 2008 -- Colon cancer experts today issued new guidelines about colon cancer screening tests. The new guidelines, which emphasize colon cancer prevention, come from the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, and the American College of Radiology. Her

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10. Flat Lesions Linked to Colon Cancer
    

    March 6, 2008 -- They are usually missed or overlooked during colon cancer screening, but flat lesions within the lining of the colon and rectum may be more likely to be cancerous than polyps, new research shows. They are also more common in the U.S. population than previously thought. Known as nonp

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