MedifocusHealth

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and in women in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 112,340 new cases of colon cancer (55,290 men and 57,050 women) and 41,420 new cases of rectal cancer (23,840 men and 17,580 women) will be diagnosed in 2007.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and is expected to cause about 52,180 deaths (26,000 men and 26,180 women) during 2007.

Approximately two-thirds of patients with colorectal cancer will present with potentially curable disease (either with surgery alone or in combination with other strategies such as chemotherapy and radiation). Of these, 30-40% will relapse with metastatic disease.

The number of deaths from colorectal cancer has been dropping for the past 15 years. There are a number of likely reasons for this. One probable reason is that polyps are being found by screening and removed before they can develop into cancers. Screening is also allowing more colorectal cancers to be found earlier when the disease is easier to cure. In addition, treatment for colorectal cancer has improved over the last 10 years, allowing for more effective options for people with this diagnosis. Because of this, there are around 1 million survivors of colorectal cancer in the United States. The majority of deaths (75%) from colorectal cancer occur in persons older that 65 years of age.