Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. About 130,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. Nearly 60,000 people will die from colorectal cancer. At the present time about one in every 17 people in the United States will develop colorectal cancer during their lifetime. Fortunately, with today's knowledge and technical expertise, we can prevent most of these cancers from ever occurring.
Colorectal cancer refers to malignant growths that occur in the colon and the rectum.
The colon is sometimes referred to as the large bowel or large intestine and is that part of the digestive tract that absorbs water from the food that is eaten but can't digest. This results in waste that is eliminated from the body as stool or feces. The rectum is at the very end of the colon where waste is stored until it is passed as a bowel movement or stool. Together the colon and rectum make up the lower digestive tract. Most colorectal cancers start out as small benign growths that are known as polyps.