Please note: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will now be called "UT Health San Antonio."
In honor of March's Colon Cancer Month, researcher Alison Clark shares a few facts for us to think about...
1) Bad news: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is estimated to be the third most commonly diagnosed and cause of cancer death in the U.S. for both men and women this year. That’s one in 20 folks will be diagnosed in their lifetime.
2) There are multiple factors that determine your risk of getting colon cancer such as genetics, the types of food you eat, physical activity, and tobacco and alcohol consumption
3) It’s not just an old person disease, young people are susceptible it too. Studies have shown that rates of colon cancer for the young population (under 50) have risen.
4) Good news: Colon cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent for the last 10 years in the US due to increased screening practices for the disease. If detected early, survival rates are relatively high. In fact, an estimated 60 percent of deaths from colon cancer can be avoided if caught early.
5) There are more than one million colon cancer survivors in the U.S.
If you would like to learn more about Alison's research, click here.
References:
http://www.cityofhope.org/blog/colorectal-cancer-facts
http://fightcolorectalcancer.org/prevent-it/facts-about-colorectal-cancer/
Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A (2016) Cancer Statistics, 2016. CA Cancer J Clin 2016; 7–30
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