Current Controversies in the Management of Colon and Rectal Cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and women, after prostate and lung/bronchus in men and breast and lung/bronchus in women. The American Cancer Society (ACS) expects an estimated 136,830 new diagnoses of colon and rectal cancer in 2014. Fortunately, the incidence of colorectal cancer has been decreasing steadily since the mid-1980s. This decrease is most likely related to an increase in screening tests that can identify and allow removal of lesions before they can transform into cancer. The ACS expects an estimated 50,310 deaths from colorectal cancer in 2014, which accounts for 8 % of all cancer deaths in men and 9 % of cancer deaths in women. There has been a similar decrease in mortality since the mid-1980s with a sharper decline in the past decade approaching a 2.5 % decline per year in men and a 3 % decline in women. Colorectal cancer is a highly treatable and frequently curable malignancy when detected early, highlighting the need for improved screening modalities and strategies.