|
|
Article: Colon Cancer; Overview.
- Article from:
- NWHRC Health Center - Colon Cancer
- Article date:
- March 21, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 National Women's Health Resource Center. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Only lung cancer kills more Americans than colorectal cancer. Fear, denial and embarrassment keep most people from being screened for the disease. And there's a misconception that colon cancer usually only strikes men. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in women after breast, lung and skin cancer. And, the disease is highly curable-90 percent survive five years or longer-when diagnosed at an early stage. Once the cancer has spread to- lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate drops to 65 percent. If the cancer has already spread to distant parts of the body such as the liver or lungs, the five-year survival rate is nine percent.
The large ...