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Article: Ten-year study confirms role of polyps in colon cancer.
- Article from:
- Medical Update
- Article date:
- February 1, 1994
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. 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)
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Colon cancer, the second highest cause of cancer deaths, is expected to kill 57,000 Americans in 1994, with 152,000 new cases occurring in the same period.
Doctors have long known that so-called adenomatous polyps in the colon--such as the ones removed from former President Reagan during his term of office-- can become cancerous. Common sense thus dictates that they be removed when found. One of the mainstays of colon cancer prevention, therefore, has been the detection and removal of these precancerous growths.
Until now, however, there has been no proof that the removal of polyps from the colon decreases colon cancer risk. For the past ten years, ...