Colon Cancer

Every year, about one million new cases of colon cancer are diagnosed worldwide. About 150,000 new cases are detected each year in the United States. Over a lifetime, about 1 in 19 people develop colon cancer and nearly 50,000 people are expected to die from it in the U.S. this year.

What Causes Colorectal Cancer?

Cancer occurs when a normal cell divides and multiples uncontrollably. Normally cells are regulated in their growth, maturity, division and death by the DNA present in their nucleus. With damage to the DNA the cells may become rogue and multiply uncontrollably to give rise to tumors.

What is Colorectal Cancer?

Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis

Colorectal Cancer Prevention

Colorectal Cancer Management

Colorectal Cancer Prognosis

Colorectal Cancer Symptoms

Latest Colon Cancer News and Research

New cancer models mimic aspects of mechanical environment within the body

As cancer and tumor cells move inside the human body, they impart and are subject to mechanical forces.

15 Jan 2021

Gut microbe may play a role in the development of breast cancers

A microbe found in the colon and commonly associated with the development of colitis and colon cancer also may play a role in the development of some breast cancers, according to new research from investigators with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

6 Jan 2021

The weak spot of colon cancer stem cells

Colon cancer stem cells have one weak spot: the enzyme Mll1. An MDC team led by Walter Birchmeier has now shown in Nature Communications that blocking this protein prevents the development of new tumors in the body.

21 Dec 2020

Errant DNA triggers immune system response against cancer

DNA that ends up where it doesn't belong in cancer cells can unleash an immune response that makes tumors more susceptible to immunotherapy, the results of two UT Southwestern studies indicate.

17 Dec 2020

Researchers use new method to deliver anti-cancer drug to suppress tumor growth

Targeting drugs to cancer tissues is a major challenge in cancer treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known for their ability to find and target tumor cells in the body, but using MSCs for drug delivery has been tricky, because upon loading with drugs, MSCs lose their viability and migratory ability.

17 Dec 2020

Study shows rising incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma in younger adults

Esophageal adenocarcinoma is occurring more frequently in adults under age 50, and these younger adults are more likely to be diagnosed at advanced stages.

16 Dec 2020

New combination therapy has potential to treat aggressive cancers with common mutations

Scientists have long known that therapies that target the cancer-driving MAPK pathway are only effective in a handful of cancers with specific mutations in a cancer gene called BRAF, and these cancers that initially respond to the therapy often end up developing resistance to the treatment, resulting in relapse for many patients.

14 Dec 2020

Cancer-killing virus developed at City of Hope activates the immune system against colon cancer

City of Hope scientists have developed a cancer-killing virus by combining the oncolytic virus CF33 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

1 Dec 2020

First checkpoint inhibitor vaccine shown to be safe, effective in colon cancer animal model

A study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute described a potential therapeutic anticancer vaccine that frees suppressed cancer-killing immune cells, enabling them to attack and destroy a tumor.

23 Nov 2020

Medicaid expansion may lead to earlier diagnosis, improved care for colon cancer patients

The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion for low-income people appears to lead to earlier diagnosis of colon cancer, enhanced access to care, and improved surgical care for patients with this common cancer, researchers report in a new study.

23 Nov 2020

Study could pave the way for potential urine test to diagnose liver fibrosis

Fifty fragments of proteins, termed peptides, have been identified in the urine of liver fibrosis patients in a new study that could pave the way for a potential diagnostic urine test for the condition if further validated.

16 Nov 2020

New double-balloon catheter receives Canadian patent

Medical University of South Carolina radiologist assistant Cephus E. Simmons Sr., Ph.D., realized that catheters on the market were not optimal for providing the needed diagnostic yield during radiology procedures.

10 Nov 2020

New model for predicting colon cancer risk in average risk individuals

Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine research scientists have developed and tested one of the first U.S.-based models to predict personal risk for advanced precancerous polyps and colon cancer in average risk individuals.

10 Nov 2020

Pioneering technique sheds new light on the origin of metastases

Research can now target metastases more effectively thanks to a new approach that takes into account the enormous heterogeneity and phenotypes of tumor cells, with a team from UNIGE pinpointing a gene that prevents their development.

10 Nov 2020

Low muscle quality and quantity linked to poor outcomes in colon resection surgery

Low muscle quality and quantity are both predictive of poor outcomes in colon resection surgery, according to a new study published in JAMA Surgery.

27 Oct 2020

Advancements in research on cancer signal transduction and treatment

Cancer is driven by numerous genetic and epigenetic changes occurring at the cellular level. These changes drive normal cells to proliferate and escape processes that usually regulate their survival and migration.

27 Oct 2020

Concerti algorithm identifies intra-patient heteroplasmies in SARS-CoV-2 patients

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 has caused the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected more than 39.8 million lives globally and claimed over 1.11 million deaths to date.

18 Oct 2020

Ludwig study uncovers a nutritional approach to improve cancer immunotherapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has uncovered a mechanism by which the tumor's harsh internal environment sabotages T lymphocytes, leading cellular agents of the anticancer immune response.

5 Oct 2020

Applying the power of AI to improve heart-transplant outcomes

The team of biomedical researchers at the Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics has tackled various aspects of lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and more since the center was launched at Case Western Reserve University in 2012 by bioengineering pioneer Anant Madabhushi.

5 Oct 2020

Fructose intake may exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease, study reveals

Diet remains an important part of disease prevention and management, and a new study suggests that consumption of fructose may worsen intestinal inflammation common to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

29 Sep 2020