Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon [large intestine] or rectum) is the third most common cancer in men and women. When it is discovered in its early stages, colon cancer is treated with surgery and often cured. However, many individuals with colon cancer have no symptoms until the disease reaches an advanced stage, such as metastasizing (spreading) to other organs. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths (after lung cancer) in the United States. Testing persons without signs or symptoms of colon cancer is called screening . Screening for colon cancer is recommended for everyone older than 50 years and especially for individuals who have significant risk factors. The December 17, 2008, issue of JAMA includes an article reporting that cigarette smoking is significantly associated with the occurrence of colorectal cancer. This Patient Page is based on one previously published in the September 27, 2006, issue of JAMA.
The following conditions may put you at higher risk for colon cancer
Age (individuals older than 50 years)
Family history (you are more likely to get colorectal cancer if one of your parents, a brother, or a sister has had the disease)
Personal medical history (you are at increased risk for colon cancer if you have had other types of cancer, a history of colon polyps, or inflammatory diseases of the bowel)
Lifestyle (cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol use, inactivity, obesity, and a high-fat/low-fiber diet place you at increased risk for colon cancer)
Grahic Jump Location
Standard tests used for detecting colon cancer include
Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)—testing stool for small amounts of blood
Sigmoidoscopy (placement of a lighted tube into the rectum to examine the lower part of the colon)
Colonoscopy (a lighted tube with an attached camera inserted through the rectum to view the large bowel and to take tissue samples)
Barium enema (a type of x-ray procedure)
Genetic testing can tell you whether you carry genes (the functional units of heredity) that may eventually cause colon cancer. The sooner this information is known, the sooner diagnostic testing and effective treatment can begin. If you have a strong family history of colon cancer, you should discuss with your doctor having a blood test to look for these genes. The most common genetic changes occur in 2 conditions: hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC , now called Lynch syndrome ), an inherited disorder with increased risk for several types of cancer; and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an inherited disorder with many small growths inside the colon that may become cancerous.
American Cancer Societyhttp://www.cancer.org
Centers for Disease Control and Preventionhttp://www.cdc.gov/cancer
American College of Gastroenterologyhttp://www.acg.gi.org
To find this and previous JAMA Patient Pages, go to the Patient Page link on JAMA's Web site at http://www.jama.com. Many are available in English and Spanish. A Patient Page on colon cancer screening was published in the March 8, 2006, issue.
Sources: American Cancer Society, American College of Gastroenterology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute
The JAMA Patient Page is a public service of JAMA. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your personal medical condition, JAMA suggests that you consult your physician. This page may be photocopied noncommercially by physicians and other health care professionals to share with patients. To purchase bulk reprints, call 312/464-0776.
TOPIC: CANCER
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
Instructions
Comments are moderated and will appear on the site at the discretion of the Journal of American Medical Association editors. Comments should not exceed 500 words of text and 10 references.
Do not submit personal medical questions or information that could identify a specific patient, questions about a particular case, or general inquiries to an author. Only content that has not been published, posted, or submitted elsewhere should be submitted. By submitting this Comment, you and any coauthors transfer copyright to the journal if your Comment is posted.
* = Required Field
Disclosure of Any Conflicts of Interest* Indicate all relevant conflicts of interest of each author below, including all relevant financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including, but not limited to, employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speakers’ bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. If all authors have none, check "No potential conflicts or relevant financial interests" in the box below. Please also indicate any funding received in support of this work. The information will be posted with your response.
Register and get free email Table of Contents alerts, saved searches, PowerPoint downloads, CME quizzes, and more
Subscribe for full-text access to content from 1998 forward and a host of useful features
Activate your current subscription (AMA members and current subscribers)
Some tools below are only available to our subscribers or users with an online account.
Download citation file:
Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.
Users' Guides to the Medical Literature Clinical Resolution
Users' Guides to the Medical Literature Clinical Scenario
All results at JAMAevidence.com >
and access these and other features:
Register Now
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
Athens and Shibboleth are access management services that provide single sign-on to protected resources. They replace the multiple user names and passwords necessary to access subscription-based content with a single user name and password that can be entered once per session. It operates independently of a user's location or IP address. If your institution uses Athens or Shibboleth authentication, please contact your site administrator to receive your user name and password.