Colorectal Cancer

As the incidence of GI cancer creeps up among younger patients, so does the question of why.

In honor of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, CURE® compiled some recent colorectal cancer news and updates patients and survivors may have missed.

This week on the “CURE® Talks Cancer” podcast, to kick off Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we spoke with colon cancer survivor April Schack about what it was like to be diagnosed at age 36 and how she’s working with Fight CRC on a new campaign that aims to raise awareness about the disease, so that no one has to go through what she did.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and national leading nonprofit the Colorectal Cancer Alliance launched a new “Pledge To Get Screened” campaign – a public health initiative urging every American to join together to make a difference to combat colorectal cancer by pledging to get their recommended cancer screenings.

From a childhood cancer survivor being named a member of the first all-civilian SpaceX mission to colorectal cancer survivors golfing alongside PGA Tour champions in the Cologuard Classic, here’s what’s happening in the cancer space this week.

Sending a text message reminder to participants about their upcoming fecal immunochemical test improved previously poor adherence rates for colorectal cancer screening.

Danielle Ripley-Burgess, a two-time colon cancer survivor, discusses why she wrote a book about her journey and how her experience strengthened her faith.

While aspirin has been shown to be a protective factor against colorectal cancer in younger adults, recent findings show that the benefit is nonexistent in individuals over the age of 70.

Patients with rectal cancer who maintain a clinical complete response – meaning they are found to have no evidence of disease – after three years, may not need as frequent surveillance after that point, due to a decreased chance of regrowth and metastases.

In the final analysis of the phase 2 TASCO1 trial, patients within the Lonsurf and Avastin arm reached a median overall survival of 22.31 months compared with 17.67 months in the Xeloda and Avastin arm.

The researchers concluded that the overall low health-related quality of life scores for young CRC survivors in the categories of social and functional well-being should be targeted by appropriate methods, which could include counseling and quality of life interventions.

Several studies have identified an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among those suffering from a chronic condition such as Crohn’s disease, diabetes, or obesity. Interestingly, this association is particularly evident among millennials, meaning those who were in the 22-37 age group between 2014 and 2018.

Aside from the physical challenges associated with colorectal cancer, managing the many health administrative aspects of a chronic disease is an added burden to the lives of patients and their caregivers.