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.

Colorectal Cancer Management

Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis

Colorectal Cancer Prognosis

What is Colorectal Cancer?

Colorectal Cancer Symptoms

Colorectal Cancer Prevention

Latest Colon Cancer News and Research

Evolutionary mutation weakens human immune response to solid tumors

New research from UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has uncovered an evolutionary change that may explain why certain immune cells in humans are less effective at fighting solid tumors compared to non-human primates.

3 Jul 2025

New KRAS mutation discovery opens door to targeted colon cancer therapies

Scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center have identified a mutation in a common oncogene - a gene that can cause cancer - that may play an important role in colon cancer. Researchers also showed how this mutation could be targeted therapeutically.

24 Jun 2025

Tumor collagen structure may help explain racial disparities in cancer outcomes

In cancer care, accurate tools for predicting whether a tumor will spread (metastasize) can help patients receive the most appropriate treatments.

15 Jun 2025

Bringing microbiome science into everyday clinical care

The article summarizes results of research and possible future clinical applications of the microbiome and provides instructions for doctors.

13 Jun 2025

Eliminating stellate cells reduces liver metastasis in mouse models

The prestigious journal Hepatology Communications reports on the discovery by the Cancer and Translational Medicine research group of the University of the Basque Country (EHU).

10 Jun 2025

Global cancer experts gather in Kenya to improve care across Sub-Saharan Africa

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-an alliance of leading cancer centers in the United States-is joining the African Cancer Coalition (ACC) to update cancer treatment recommendations during the American Cancer Society (ACS) 2025 Global Academy Regional Workshop: Sub-Saharan Africa, in Nairobi, Kenya, June 9-11.

10 Jun 2025

Two patients faced chemo. The one who survived demanded a test to see if it was safe.

JoEllen Zembruski-Ruple, while in the care of New York City's renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, swallowed the first three chemotherapy pills to treat her squamous cell carcinoma on Jan. 29, her family members said. They didn't realize the drug could kill her.

4 Jun 2025

Exercise after chemo key for colon cancer survival, study finds

Post-chemotherapy exercise significantly boosts disease-free survival in colon cancer patients, underscoring the importance of structured physical activity.

3 Jun 2025

Anti-inflammatory diet linked to longer survival in colon cancer patients

Patients with colon cancer who consumed an anti-inflammatory diet during a phase 3 clinical trial showed longer overall survival post-treatment compared to those on a proinflammatory diet, according to a Dana-Farber Cancer Institute analysis.

1 Jun 2025

Adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy after surgery improves survival in colon cancer

Colon cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer in the U.S., and while screening has helped detect and prevent colon cancer from spreading, major advancements in treating colon cancer have lagged.

1 Jun 2025

Muscle wasting in cancer tied to blood vessel dysfunction

A dysfunction in muscle blood vessels could be to blame for the weak muscles and weight loss that most cancer patients experience, according to a new study from University of Illinois Chicago researchers.

29 May 2025

New insights reveal EGFR as a target in KRAS-mutated colon cancer

KRAS mutations are among the most common genetic alterations in cancer and are considered particularly difficult to treat.

26 May 2025

New AI blood test tracks pancreatic cancer treatment response

An artificial intelligence technique for detecting DNA fragments shed by tumors and circulating in a patient's blood, developed by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators, could help clinicians more quickly identify and determine if pancreatic cancer therapies are working.

22 May 2025

Oxygen deficiency in the colon cancer microenvironment can promote tumor growth

To effectively battle cancer, scientists must study the battlefield. Now, in a recent study published in Nature Communications, a multi-institutional research team including The University of Osaka has discovered some crucial intel: localized oxygen deficiency in the colon cancer microenvironment can promote tumor growth.

21 May 2025

Gut bacteria help ease chemotherapy side effects and aid recovery

Intestinal microbes that survive chemo can rid the gut of excess chemo drugs and produce a vitamin that helps to stem nausea.

21 May 2025

Gene-edited immune cells show promise against advanced GI cancers

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have completed a first-in-human clinical trial testing a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique to help the immune system fight advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

3 May 2025

Study links pregnancy specific genes to poorer lung cancer outcomes in women

Lung cancer can co-opt genes that normally help a fetus develop and evade the mother's immune system. And while these pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) can get activated in the cancers of both men and women, female patients had poorer outcomes, a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) research team has found.

29 Apr 2025

Immunotherapy replaces surgery for early-stage dMMR cancers in landmark study

Neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade with dostarlimab achieved high rates of organ preservation in patients with early-stage mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) solid tumors across multiple types. Most patients avoided surgery with durable disease control, reshaping potential cancer treatment pathways.

28 Apr 2025

Humanized antibody dismantles metabolic barrier as a potential cancer immunotherapy

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a specific mode of fat uptake by immune cells within tumors that serves as a metabolic checkpoint against anti-cancer immune responses.

28 Apr 2025

High cannabis use associated with increased colon cancer mortality

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that individuals with colon cancer and a documented history of high cannabis use were more than 20 times more likely to die within five years of diagnosis compared to those without such a history.

28 Apr 2025