Expert Advice on Colon Cancer Treatment and Prevention
Learn About Colonoscopies, Precancerous Polyps and More
Colon cancer often has no symptoms, and can go undetected for years. The good news? It’s also one of the most slow-growing cancers, so with proper colonoscopies and screening, it’s highly preventable. A gastrointestinal oncologist explains risk factors, tests and options for treatment...
Colon cancer isn’t a subject most people are eager to think about, much less discuss with loved ones or doctors.
But each year in the U.S., more than 145,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and approximately 50,000 people die of the disease.
“It’s a very common form of cancer that remains under-diagnosed mainly because not enough people get screened for it,” says Veena Shankaran, M.D., an oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
But the news on colon cancer isn’t all bad.
A 2009 report released by a group of leading cancer organizations revealed that from 1975 to 2000, colorectal cancer incidence rates dropped 22% and death rates dropped 26%.
“Colon cancer is highly treatable, regardless of its stage,” adds Dr. Shankaran, who is also an assistant professor of medical oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle.
But each year in the U.S., more than 145,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and approximately 50,000 people die of the disease.
“It’s a very common form of cancer that remains under-diagnosed mainly because not enough people get screened for it,” says Veena Shankaran, M.D., an oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
But the news on colon cancer isn’t all bad.
A 2009 report released by a group of leading cancer organizations revealed that from 1975 to 2000, colorectal cancer incidence rates dropped 22% and death rates dropped 26%.
“Colon cancer is highly treatable, regardless of its stage,” adds Dr. Shankaran, who is also an assistant professor of medical oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle.
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