Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal Cancer: Fast Facts

• Colorectal cancer ranks as the third most commonly diagnosed—and second-deadliest—form of cancer in the United States in men and women.
• Colorectal cancer is both preventable and treatable if detected early.
• Colorectal cancer affects major organs of the digestive system: the colon and/or rectum, which together form a muscular tube about 3 feet long that processes and eliminates food.
• Colorectal cancer develops in the digestive tract, often from growths, called polyps, which are benign initially but transform over time into a cancerous tumor. Those cancer cells invade and destroy nearby tissue, and can break away from the original tumor to form new tumors in other parts of the body through a process called metastasis.

Read more about colorectal-cancer prevention, symptoms and treatment options at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. »

Colorectal Cancer: Some of Our Key Research

Catching colorectal-cancer cells earlier

• Dr. William Grady is working to identify the earliest detectable changes in normal colon cells that become cancerous. Through those findings, he hopes to develop a safe, accurate and easier way to test for cancer warning signs in the DNA of a blood or stool sample. The goal is to encourage more people to get screened for colon cancer, limiting the use of the more-invasive colonoscopy to higher-risk cases. Grady is also studying how mutations in certain genes cause colon cancer to grow. These studies hold the promise to lead to new types of treatment for colon cancer. Learn more about Dr. Grady's research. »

• Dr. Scott Ramsey has found that colon-cancer patients diagnosed through a routine test to detect blood in the stool have less-advanced disease and significantly lower health care costs than those diagnosed because of symptoms.

Examining colorectal-cancer risk factors

• Vigorous exercise: A study led by Dr. Anne McTiernan found that regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise significantly reduces a risk factor tied to development of colon polyps and cancer in men. Men of all shapes who exercised aerobically at least four hours per week for a year showed a substantial decrease in the amount of actively dividing cells in the colon zones where cancer most often develops. Learn more about the links between exercise and colorectal-cancer risk. »

• Obesity: The Hutchinson Center in 2005 became one of four U.S. research centers nationwide to participate in a five-year, $54-million initiative aimed at better understanding the link between obesity and cancer. The research revolves around five projects that tackle, among other things, the effects of excess amounts of sugar, reduced-calorie diets and exercise on cancer development. Learn more about the Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer initiative.  »

• Postmenopausal hormone therapy: Dr. Polly Newcomb has published some promising findings for women who take estrogen-plus-progestin postmenopausal hormones: Their risk of developing colorectal cancer is 40 percent lower than that of women who take only estrogen or don't take hormones at all. Learn more about on hormone therapy and colorectal cancer risk. »

• Calcium-rich diets: Research by Dr. Ulrike Peters has suggested that women who follow a more calcium-rich diet—more than 800 milligrams per day, or about three cups of milk—have a 26 percent lower risk of getting colorectal cancer than women who consume about half that amount daily. Learn more about our work on calcium and colon cancer prevention. »

• Aspirin’s effects: It is widely known that the use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by up to half. But because those drugs can cause harmful long-term effects in other body systems, Dr. Neli Ulrich is focusing on genetic analyses that could reveal and predict whether NSAIDs would do a person more harm than good, allowing treatment to be tailored accordingly. Hutchinson Center researchers have also found that the protective effect of NSAIDs may not extend to long-term smokers, who already face an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Learn more about aspirin, NSAIDs, and colon cancer. »

Improving treatment for colorectal-cancer patients

• Dr. Neli Ulrich is leading the first study that takes an in-depth look at the various factors that can determine the outcome of a colorectal-cancer diagnosis. Under the ColoCare Consortium study, cancer patients donate blood and tumor samples and answer questions about lifestyle, environment, diet and exercise. With this data, researchers hope to learn what patients themselves can do to improve their health after diagnosis and to develop customized treatments to fit individual patients’ bodies.

Colorectal Cancer: More Resources

• Are you at risk for colon cancer? Want to find out how and when to get screened—and how to protect your friends and family? Check out endcoloncancernow.org to learn more. »

• Every advance in cancer treatment in recent years has come out of clinical trials that test innovative medical approaches on patients. Find out more about clinical trials on colon or rectal cancer. »

• The Hutchinson Center also conducts ongoing cancer-prevention studies that depend on participation of healthy volunteers. Learn more about getting involved in research studies. » 

• In need of medical attention for colorectal cancer? Visit the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to get help. »

• The Hutchinson Center is on a mission to eliminate cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death, and you can help. Make a gift today. »