Colon Cancer

Novel RNA-based classification system for colorectal cancer

A novel transcriptome-based classification of colon cancer that improves the current disease stratification based on clinicopathological variables and common DNA markers is presented in a study published in PLOS Medicine this w ...

Cancer created 14 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New tumour-killer shows great promise in suppressing cancers

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Lund University, Sweden, have bioengineered a novel molecule which has been proven to successfully kill tumour cells.

Cancer created 22 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Researchers develop model for better testing, targeting of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

University of Minnesota Medical School researchers from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, in partnership with the University's Brain Tumor Program, have developed a new mouse model of malignant peripheral ...

Genetics created May 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Breakthrough in how pancreatic cancer cells ingest nutrients points to new drug target

In a landmark cancer study published online in Nature, researchers at NYU School of Medicine have unraveled a longstanding mystery about how pancreatic tumor cells feed themselves, opening up new therapeutic possibilities for a ...

Cancer created May 13, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Protein complex may play role in preventing many forms of cancer, study shows

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a group of proteins that are mutated in about one-fifth of all human cancers. The finding suggests that the proteins, which are members of a protein ...

Genetics created May 05, 2013 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Mapping the embryonic epigenome

A large, multi-institutional research team involved in the NIH Epigenome Roadmap Project has published a sweeping analysis in the current issue of the journal Cell of how genes are turned on and off to direct early human ...

Genetics created May 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study finds gaps in 'decision aids' designed to help determine right cancer screening option

When it comes to a cancer diagnosis, timing can be everything – the sooner it's found, the more treatable it is. But when and how often should someone get screened?

Cancer created May 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Gene test may help guide prostate cancer treatment

A new genetic test to gauge the aggressiveness of prostate cancer may help tens of thousands of men each year decide whether they need to treat their cancer right away or can safely monitor it.

Genetics created May 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study finds experimental drug inhibits growth in all stages of common kidney cancer

Researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have discovered a protein that is overly active in every human sample of kidney cancer they examined. They also found that an experimental drug designed to block the protein's ...

Cancer created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Women smokers may have greater risk for colon cancer than men

Smoking increased the risk for developing colon cancer, and female smokers may have a greater risk than male smokers, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Associ ...

Cancer created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Spanish group patents an automatic suture system for colon cancer operations

The Spanish research centre Innotex has developed a device that enables automatic suturing of the large intestine after being sectioned during cancer colon surgery. The novelty of the system, called Insewing, ...

Cancer created Apr 25, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Inhibiting enzymes in the cell may lead to development and proliferation of cancer cells

Blocking certain enzymes in the cell may prevent cancer cell division and growth, according to new findings from researchers at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The ...

Cancer created Apr 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1


Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer from uncontrolled cell growth in the colon, rectum, or appendix. Symptoms typically include rectal bleeding and anemia which are sometimes associated with weight loss and changes in bowel habits.

Most colorectal cancer occurs due to lifestyle and increasing age with only a minority of cases associated with underlying genetic disorders. It typically starts in the lining of the bowel and if left untreated, can grow into the muscle layers underneath, and then through the bowel wall. Screening is effective at decreasing the chance of dying from colorectal cancer and is recommended starting at the age of 50 and continuing until a person is 75 years old. Localized bowel cancer is usually diagnosed through sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.

Cancers that are confined within the wall of the colon are often curable with surgery while cancer that has spread widely around the body is usually not curable and management then focuses on extending the person's life via chemotherapy and improving quality of life. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, but it is more common in developed countries. Around 60% of cases were diagnosed in the developed world. It is estimated that worldwide, in 2008, 1.23 million new cases of colorectal cancer were clinically diagnosed, and that it killed 608,000 people.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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