Question: What is (are) Colorectal Cancer ?
Answer: How Tumors Form The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow, divide, and produce more cells as needed to keep the body healthy and functioning properly. Sometimes, however, the process goes wrong -- cells become abnormal and form more cells in an uncontrolled way. These extra cells form a mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor. Tumors can be benign, which means not cancerous, or malignant, which means cancerous. How Colorectal Cancer Develops Cancer of the colon or rectum is called colorectal cancer. The colon and the rectum are part of the large intestine, which is part of the digestive system. Colorectal cancer occurs when tumors form in the lining of the large intestine, also called the large bowel. Colorectal cancer accounts for almost ten percent of all cancer deaths in the United States. The risk of developing colorectal cancer rises after age 50. It is common in both men and women. Colorectal Cancer Can Spread Sometimes, cancer cells break away from the malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system where they travel to other organs in the body. Among other things, the lymphatic system transports white blood cells that fight infection. When cancer travels or spreads from its original location in the colon to another part of the body such as the liver, it is called metastatic colorectal cancer and not liver cancer. When colorectal cancer does spread, it tends to spread to the liver or lungs. Cure Rate for Early Detection Today there are more ways than ever to treat colorectal cancer. As with almost all cancers, the earlier it is found, the more likely that the treatment will be successful. If colon cancer is detected in its early stages, it is up to 90 percent curable.
Source: NIHSeniorHealth

Question: What are the treatments for Colorectal Cancer ?
Answer: Treatments are available for all patients who have colon cancer. The choice of treatment depends on the size, location, and stage of the cancer and on the patient's general health. Doctors may suggest several treatments or combinations of treatments. Surgery Is the Most Common First Step in a Treatment Regimen The three standard treatments for colon cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Surgery, however, is the most common first step in the treatment for all stages of colon cancer. Surgery is an operation to remove the cancer. A doctor may remove the cancer using several types of surgery. Local Excision If the cancer is found at a very early stage, the doctor may remove it without cutting through the abdominal wall. Instead, the doctor may put a tube up the rectum into the colon and cut the cancer out. This is called a local excision. If the cancer is found in a polyp, which is a small bulging piece of tissue, the operation is called a polypectomy. Colectomy If the cancer is larger, the surgeon will remove the cancer and a small amount of healthy tissue around it. This is called a colectomy. The surgeon may then sew the healthy parts of the colon together. Usually, the surgeon will also remove lymph nodes near the colon and examine them under a microscope to see whether they contain cancer. Colostomy If the doctor is not able to sew the two ends of the colon back together, an opening called a stoma is made on the abdomen for waste to pass out of the body before it reaches the rectum. This procedure is called a colostomy. Sometimes the colostomy is needed only until the lower colon has healed, and then it can be reversed. But if the doctor needs to remove the entire lower colon or rectum, the colostomy may be permanent. Adjuvant Chemotherapy Even if the doctor removes all of the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, many patients receive chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Chemotherapy treatment after surgery -- to increase the chances of a cure -- is called adjuvant therapy. Researchers have found that patients who received adjuvant therapy usually survived longer and went for longer periods of time without a recurrence of colon cancer than patients treated with surgery alone. Patients age 70 and older benefited from adjuvant treatment as much as their younger counterparts. In fact, adjuvant therapy is equally as effective -- and no more toxic -- for patients 70 and older as it is for younger patients, provided the older patients have no other serious diseases. Adjuvant chemotherapy is standard treatment for patients whose cancer is operable and who are at high risk for a recurrence of the disease. Most cases of colon cancer occur in individuals age 65 and over. But studies have shown that older patients receive adjuvant chemotherapy less frequently than younger patients. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by mouth, or it may be put into the body by inserting a needle into a vein or muscle. One form of chemotherapy is called systemic treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream, travel through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. The other form of chemotherapy is called targeted therapy because the drug affects only the factors that are causing the cancer and does not perturb the rest of the body. Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy is the use of x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Most often, doctors use it for patients whose cancer is in the rectum. Doctors may use radiation before surgery to shrink a tumor in the rectum and make it easier to remove. Or, they may use it after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain in the treated area. The radiation may come from a machine or from implants placed directly into or near the tumor. Radiation that comes from a machine is called external radiation. Radiation that uses implants is known as internal radiation. Some patients have both kinds of therapy.
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Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Colorectal Cancer ?
Answer: Researchers continue to look at new ways to treat, diagnose, and prevent colorectal cancer. Many are testing other types of treatments in clinical trials. Advances in Treatments Studies have found that patients who took the drug Avastin, a targeted chemotherapy drug, with their standard chemotherapy treatment had a longer progression-free survival than those who did not take Avastin, but some studies have indicated that Avastin does not extend life. (The generic name for Avastin is bevacizumab.) Scientists are also working on vaccines therapies and monoclonal antibodies that may improve how patients' immune systems respond to colorectal cancers. Monoclonal antibodies are a single type of antibody that researchers make in large amounts in a laboratory. Surgical techniques have reduced the number of patients needing a permanent colostomy. A colostomy is an opening made in the abdomen for waste to pass out of the body before it reaches the rectum. In many cases, the surgeon can reconnect the healthy parts of the colon back together after removing the cancer. This way, the colon can function just as it did before. The PLCO Trial The National Cancer Institute's Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, or PLCO Trial, recently provided results about the role of sigmoidoscopy in reducing deaths from colon and rectal cancers. The PLCO trial, involving 148,000 volunteers aged 55 to 74, compared two groups of people over a 10-year period and found that the group that received sigmoidoscopies had fewer deaths from colorectal cancer than those who did not get a sigmoidoscopy. NSAIDs and Polyp Formation Preventing colorectal cancer is a concern of many researchers. Studies have shown that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can keep large-bowel polyps from forming. Bowel polyps can start out benign, or non-cancerous, but can become cancerous. However, the effects that these drugs have on the heart and other parts of the body is of concern, therefore these drugs should only be used for prevention under a doctor's supervision. Genetic Research Genes involved in colorectal cancer continue to be identified and understood. Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, or HNPCC, is one condition that causes people in a certain family to develop colorectal cancer at a young age. The discovery of four genes involved with this disease has provided crucial clues about the role of DNA repair in colorectal and other cancers. Scientists are continuing to identify genes associated with colon cancers that run in families. Using traditional screening methods on people from families that carry these genes may be another way to identify cancers at an early stage and cut deaths from colorectal cancer. Genetic screening of people at high risk may become more common in the near future Besides looking at genes in families, researchers in the The Cancer Genome Atlas study looked at the genes of actual colon tumors to better understand the contribution that genes make to cancer. By looking at the genetic composition of the tumor, researchers were able to identify new mutations (changes) in the genes that can lead to cancer, including the genes BRAF and EGRF.
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Question: Who is at risk for Colorectal Cancer? ?
Answer: Studies show that the following risk factors may increase a person's chances of developing colorectal cancer: age, polyps, personal history, family history, and ulcerative colitis.
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Question: What are the symptoms of Colorectal Cancer ?
Answer: Possible signs of colorectal cancer include: - a change in the frequency of bowel movements - diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely - either bright red or very dark blood in the stool a change in the frequency of bowel movements diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely either bright red or very dark blood in the stool - stools that are narrower than usual - general abdominal discomfort such as frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, and/or cramps - weight loss with no known reason - constant tiredness - vomiting stools that are narrower than usual general abdominal discomfort such as frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, and/or cramps weight loss with no known reason constant tiredness vomiting
Source: NIHSeniorHealth