Topic Overview

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This topic will tell you about the initial testing, diagnosis, and treatment of colorectal cancer.

If you want to learn about colorectal cancer that has come back or has spread, see the topic Colorectal Cancer, Metastatic or Recurrent.

What is colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer happens when cells that are not normal grow in your colon or rectum. These cells grow together and form tumors.

This cancer is also called colon cancer or rectal cancer. It is the third most common cancer in the United States. And it occurs most often in people older than 50.

As with other cancers, treatment for colorectal cancer works best when the cancer is found early. Screening tests can detect or prevent this cancer, but only about half of people older than 50 are screened. According to the American Cancer Society, if everyone were tested, tens of thousands of lives could be saved each year.

What causes colorectal cancer?

Most cases begin as polyps, which are small growths inside the colon or rectum. Colon polyps are very common, and most of them do not turn into cancer. But doctors cannot tell ahead of time which polyps will turn into cancer. This is why people older than 50 need regular tests to find out if they have any polyps and then have them removed. And some people who are younger than 50 need regular tests if their medical history puts them at increased risk for colorectal cancer.

What are the symptoms?

Colorectal cancer usually does not cause symptoms until after it has begun to spread. See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms:

• Pain in your belly
• Blood in your stool or very dark stools
• A change in your bowel habits, such as more frequent stools or a feeling that your bowels are not emptying completely

How is colorectal cancer diagnosed?

If your doctor thinks that you may have this cancer, you will need a test, called a colonoscopy, that lets the doctor see the inside of your entire colon and rectum. During this test, your doctor will remove polyps or take tissue samples from any areas that don't look normal. The tissue will be looked at under a microscope to see if it contains cancer.

Sometimes another test, such as a sigmoidoscopy, is used to diagnose colorectal cancer.

How is it treated?

Surgery is almost always used to treat colon and rectal cancer. The cancer is more easily removed when it is found early.