Colorectal Cancer News

Spotting polyps during a colonoscopy can be tricky, particularly when they're flat or small (under 5 millimeters), one expert in the United States said.

Their study of almost 16,000 patients who underwent colonoscopy found that the long-term risk for colon cancer was 2.5 times greater for those with advanced polyps, compared to people without such growths.

Heather Blackburn-Beel was 38 years old when she died from colon cancer, an example of a troubling rise of the cancer's incidence in young adults.

Flexible sigmoidoscopy looks at about a third of the colon, as compared to the whole colon as is seen in colonoscopy. But unlike colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy does not typically require sedation.

In the new study, researchers tracked data on more than 32,000 women in the United Kingdom who were followed for an average of 17 years.

The study looked at roughly 25,000 patients in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system, where colonoscopy is widely used. The VA views it as the main screening test for patients aged 50 and older who have average odds for developing colon or rectal cancer.

Polyps are not cancerous, but some can eventually turn into cancer if they're not removed.

Though the appendicitis risk is small, it's at least four times higher the week after a colonoscopy than in the 51 weeks that follow, the study found. And by some measures, the increase is 12 times higher.

These foods all increase inflammation in your body, and the inflammation they cause is associated with a higher chance of developing colon cancer, according to pooled data from two major health studies.

The test detects so-called "circulating tumor cells" (CTCs). Researchers tested it on 620 people in Taiwan who were scheduled for a routine colonoscopy at a local hospital.

Among people treated for non-metastatic colon cancer, every 5 grams of fiber added to their diet reduced their odds of dying by nearly 25 percent, said lead researcher Dr. Andrew Chan. He is an associate professor in the department of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Currently, people at average risk of colon cancer are told to start screening for the disease at age 50. But a new study raises the question of whether earlier screening could be better.

Increase whole grains and exercise, limit booze and processed meats: report

Death rates from colorectal cancer are up for young whites but decreasing for young blacks.

Study found those who were offered cash to get cancer screening were twice as likely to do so

Concerns are growing about weight's impact on development of chronic disease, researchers say

Survival benefits seen when combined with healthy diet and exercise, researchers say

Tiny, magnet-guided device might someday replace colonoscopy, researchers say

Drugs that alter gut bacteria might set stage for polyp development, researcher says

Report suggests higher screening rates explain the positive trend

And an old adversary -- the obesity epidemic -- may be the cause, U.S. researchers say

This was true even in normal-weight women, study suggests

Study found the treatment often wasn't beneficial, but cancer expert says more research is needed

One in 6 diagnosed under 50 has at least one gene mutation that ups risk, study says

A recent study says rates of colon and rectal cancer are rising among younger people, a group that’s rarely screened for such cancers.