Q J Med 2000; 93: 131-134
© 2000 Association of Physicians
Editorial |
Colorectal cancer: still a major killer despite progress on many fronts
Departments of Medicine and Surgery, University College Cork, National University of Ireland
Progress was all right. Only it went on too long James Thurber
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in much of the developed world. Cumulative lifetime risk of developing large-bowel cancer is estimated at 6%, of whom half will die of the disease despite optimal therapy.1 In contrast to many other commonly occurring cancers, where there has been little impact on prevalence and survival, spectacular advances in the understanding of large-bowel cancer have been achieved. Such is the level of optimism that one might predict eradication of colorectal cancer as a realistic public health objective within the present century. Grounds for this include improvements in primary and secondary prevention, effective screening, endoscopic accessibility for diagnosis and elimination of premalignant lesions, feasibility of radical excision with minimal disruption to physiology and sphincters, and more effective adjuvant therapies. Advances in understanding the molecular genetics of colorectal cancer have
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