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Colorectal cancer (or bowel cancer) is one of the most common types of cancer in both men and women. Approximately four fifths of these cancers are found in the colon (large intestine), and one fifth in the rectum. Prevention and early detection of
colorectal cancer is important. Some of most common symptoms include a change in bowel habit (eg. constipation, and bleeding), mucus discharge, and discomfort or pain in the lower abdomen. The vast majority of colon and rectum cancers are adenocarcinomas,
around 10% of these are mucinous (protein contained in mucus). The median
age at diagnosis is 70, age adjusted incidence rates are slightly higher in males compared to females.
A substantial proportion of cases are in those with a genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer. Diet
may also have an influence on the incidence of colorectal cancer, diatry fibre, retinoids, and calcium
are thought to be protective, while high intake of animal fats may increases risk. Colorectal cancer
may develop from benign polyps (a polyp is a tumour on a stem most commonly found on mucous
membranes). World-wide about 782,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year.
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 Information for Patients and the Public
- Information for Health Professionals
- Screening and Prevention
- Genetic Information
- Anal Cancer
- Virtual Colonoscopy
 Gene and Chromosome Abnormalities (Cancer GeneWeb)
 Multimedia Colorectal Cancer Resources
- What You Need to Know About Colorectal Cancer- Patient's booklet (National Cancer Institute, USA) This site contains information about the disease, diagnosis, staging, and treatment options.
- Bowel Cancer - Fact Sheet Cancer Research UK
- British Colostomy Association (UK) a national charity which aims to represent the interests of people with a colostomy and provide support and practical information. The Association provides booklets and volunteer phone and letter helplines
- Cancer of the large bowel (Royal Marsden Hospital, UK) An on-line patient booklet.
- Cancer of the Small Bowel (BACUP, UK) Factsheet
- COLON - Colon Cancer Mailing List Email List
- Colon Cancer - overview (MedicineNet)
- Colon Cancer Alliance (USA) The Alliance was founded in 1998 by patients, survivors, cargivers and others whose lives have been toched by colorectal cancer. It provides information, support, advocacy, on-line chat and a toll free Helpline.
- Colon Cancer Concern (UK)
- Colon Cancer Connections (US)
- Colon Cancer Overview (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center)
- Colorectal cancer (CancerHelp UK) Information about the cancer, diagnosis, treatment and living with the disease.
- Colorectal Cancer / Cancer of the bowel - Patients summary (CanCom)
- Colorectal Cancer Home Page Includes related WWW Links. Site by Michael Goldinger, Colorectal Surgeon at the Ersta Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Colorectal Cancer Network (USA) a non-profit organization providing support and advocacy. The site includes Semicolon Central, Library and Clubhouse with information, support services and links for people with cancer, their family, friends and caregivers.
- Colostomy - A guide for cancer patients (Royal Marsden Hospital, UK) An on-line patient booklet.
- Colostomy Care Group (Ireland) support to patients who are about to have or who have had surgery to treat cancer of the colon or rectum. This page is on the Irish Cancer Society web site.
- Crocus Trust Colorectal Cancer Project (UK) A registered charity which to increase awareness and understanding of bowel cancer and provide specialist training, treatment facilities and equipment in order to reduce the number of deaths from colorectal cancer.
- George Allen's Colon Cancer Information pages by George Allen whose wife Joyce had stage IV colon cancer
- Hereditary Colon Cancer - Newsletter (MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA) the site includes articles from the HCC Newsletter.
- Palliative chemotherapy for advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (Cochrane Collaboration) Abstract of a systematic review.
- Patient's information for Rectal Cancer (CancerNet) Information about the disease, staging, and treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by a panel of medical experts.
- Patient's information for Colon Cancer (CancerNet) Information about the disease, staging, and treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by a panel of medical experts.
- Questions and Answers: Colorectal (large bowel) cancer From the CancerHelp Web site produced by Cancer Research UK.
- The Bald Eagle's Cancer Page a cancer survivalist's page by Peter who was diagnosed with invasive colonic adenocarcinoma. Includes news, treatment details, links, bibliography etc.
- Total Mesorectal Excision Surgery (Basingstoke Bowel Cancer Research Project, UK) a charity set up to improve the management of colorectal cancer, most particularly by promoting TME surgery. The sit includes information for both patients and health professionals.
- Understanding Cancer of the Colon and Rectum (BACUP, UK) An on-line booklet
See also Surgery (Ostomy)
- AMEDEO Medical Literature Guide - Colorectal Cancer
- American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (USA) a professional society representing board certified Colon and Rectal surgeons. The site contains a section on patient information including pages on colorectal cancer, colonoscopy and polyps.
- British Colostomy Association (UK) a national charity which aims to represent the interests of people with a colostomy and provide support and practical information. The Association provides booklets and volunteer phone and letter helplines
- COLON - Colon Cancer Mailing List Email List
- Colon Cancer Concern (UK)
- Colon Cancer Connections (US)
- Colorectal Cancer - adjuvant therapy (NIH)
- Colorectal Cancer Home Page Includes related WWW Links. Site by Michael Goldinger, Colorectal Surgeon at the Ersta Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Colorectal Cancer Multimedia Learning Package An extensive multimedia package by the Cheshire Community Healthcare Trust. This is hosted on the Web site of the NHS Clinical IT of the National Cancer Services Analysis Team. It includes details of diagnosis, staging and treatment.
- Crocus Trust Colorectal Cancer Project (UK) A registered charity which to increase awareness and understanding of bowel cancer and provide specialist training, treatment facilities and equipment in order to reduce the number of deaths from colorectal cancer.
- Guidance on Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer A detailed technology appraisal by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). First issued in December 2000.
- Improving Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer - Guidance on Commissioning Cancer Services (UK, Department of Health) a downloadable manual (PDF format) for health providers in the UK.
- Improving Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer : The Research Evidence (UK, Department of Health) A downloadable report (PDF format) including files on service provision and various aspects of treatment.
- Palliative chemotherapy for advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (Cochrane Collaboration) Abstract of a systematic review.
- Physician's PDQ statement for Colon Cancer (CancerNet) A referenced overview of the disease, cellular classification, staging, and current treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by experts at the NCI.
- Physician's PDQ statement for Rectal Cancer (CancerNet) A referenced overview of the disease, cellular classification, staging, and current treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by experts at the NCI.
- Total Mesorectal Excision Surgery (Basingstoke Bowel Cancer Research Project, UK) a charity set up to improve the management of colorectal cancer, most particularly by promoting TME surgery. The sit includes information for both patients and health professionals.
Prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer is important, many patients do not show symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage; screening may help detect changes before they become cancerous, or catch the cancer at an early stage.
Screening may by targeted at populations thought to have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer (for example those over age 50, particularly those with a 1st degree relative dignosed with colorectal cancer, or familial predispostion to adenomatous
polyposis).
See also Cancer Screening and Prevention
See also Virtual Colonoscopy (Research)
Between 15-20% of all colorectal cancers are thought to be familial. Some types of colon cancers and pre-disposing conditions are known to have an inherited element, in particular, hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous
polyposis (FAP).
- Colon Cancer and the MLH1 and MSH2 genes (National Center for Biotechnology Information) an overview of colon cancer and the MLH1 / MSH2 genes with links to other gene databases.
- Colorectal Cancer, Hereditary Nonpolyposis, type 2...MLH1 included. (OMIM)
- International Collaborative Group on Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer The ICG-HNPCC was formed in 1989 by experts with the aim of improving patient education, establishing international collaborative studies and founding registries of HNPCC. The web site includes a mutation database.
********** Information for Health Professionals ***********
- Adenomatous Polyposis of the Colon; APC - Genetic information Physician's info. (OMIM, National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA)
- Cancer of Colon - Genetic Information (USA) A referenced statement from the OMIM database, produced by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
- Colon Cancer, Familial, Nonpolyposis Type 1; FCC1 - Genetic information Physician's info. (OMIM, National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA)
- Colon Cancer, Familial, Nonpolyposis Type 2 - Genetic information Physician's info. (OMIM, National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA)
- Colorectal Cancer-Related Chromosome Sequence-17; CRCR2; CRC17 - Genetic information Physician's info. (OMIM, National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA)
- Deleted in Colorectal Carcinoma; DCC - Genetic information Physician's info. (OMIM, National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA)
- Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (University of Washington) part of the NCI funded Geneclinics.org site. Details of FAP, diagnosis, management, molecular biology, genetic counseling, resources, references etc.
- Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer - Mutation Databases (International Collaborative Group on Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer) includes databases of MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS1 and PMS2 mutations.
- MutL homologue 1 - MLH1 (3p) (Human Gene Mutation Database - Institute of Medical Genetics, Cardiff,UK) Colorectal cancer
- MutS homologue 2 - MSH2 (2p) (Human Gene Mutation Database - Institute of Medical Genetics, Cardiff,UK) Colorectal cancer
- Jass JR Towards a molecular classification of colorectal cancer. [Review] Int J Colorectal Dis 1999;14(4-5):194-200 Related articles (PubMed)
- Medline Search: hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (PubMed)
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- Medline Search: familial adenomatous polyposis (PubMed)
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See also Cancer Gene Web
Anal cancer is an uncommon cancer, in which malignant cells are found in the anus (the opening at the end of the rectum through which the body passes waste). Cancer in the outer anus is more frequent in men, whilst cancer in the inner part of the rectum
(the anal canal) is more frequent in women.
- Patient's information for Anal Cancer (CancerNet) Information about the disease, staging, and treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by a panel of medical experts.
- Anal Cancer (BACUP, UK) Factsheet
********** Information for Health Professionals ***********
- Physician's PDQ statement for Anal Cancer (CancerNet) A referenced overview of the disease, cellular classification, staging, and current treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by experts at the NCI.
- Physician's Information for Cancer of the Anal Region (START, European School of Oncology) Referenced statement including sections on epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, staging, treatment and follow-up produced by an editorial board of top European oncologists. [Go to Chapters]
- Medline Search: anal cancer (PubMed)
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- Klas JV, et al. Malignant tumors of the anal canal: the spectrum of disease, treatment, and outcomes. [Review] Cancer 1999 Apr 15;85(8):1686-93 Related articles (PubMed)
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