Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Colon Cancer: Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment

Steps you can take NOW to prevent or defeat this highly treatable cancer
Colon (or colorectal) cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among both men and women in the United States...

...Yet when diagnosed and treated in the early stages, it is among the most curable of all cancers.

Consider this: The five-year survival rate for people whose colon or rectal cancer is discovered and treated in its earliest stage is 93 percent.

In many cases, regular screening reveals precancerous growths that can be removed, thereby preventing cancer from developing in the first place. In fact, it is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of all colorectal cancers could be prevented if everyone were screened and polyps identified and removed!

The challenge: What can you do right now to protect yourself against colorectal cancer, or, if you've already been diagnosed, to ensure a positive outcome?

To answer this question, we turned to Ross. C. Donehower, M.D., Director of the Division of Medical Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Donehower is at the forefront of research in gastrointestinal malignancies and new anticancer therapies. Dr. Donehower shares his expertise and extensive hands-on experience treating patients with colorectal cancer and those at high risk for it in our new guide: Colon Cancer: Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment .

If you have been diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer - or you think you may be at risk - it's critically important to learn everything you can now, so you can partner with your doctor effectively, ask the right questions and understand the answers. That's why we have made Colon Cancer: Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment available to you instantly as a digital PDF download.

Just click the order button below and in a few moments your guide will be delivered to your email address. It's that simple.

Knowledge is Key
When It Comes To Preventing and Defeating Colon Cancer
What will you learn in this comprehensive resource? Colon Cancer: Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment explains the way colorectal cancer develops, how it can be detected early and how you can reduce your risk. It describes new developments in colon cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and research. And it explains the ways in which people who have already been treated for colon cancer can lower their risk of having a recurrence.

In the early chapters, we explain the risk factors for colorectal cancer and look in-depth at the importance of family history. If you have a familial history of colon cancer, you may want to consider genetic testing to determine your risk. Is it a good idea? What about privacy concerns? What about the cost?

In Colon Cancer, we discuss the risks and benefits of genetic testing and counseling as well as the roles of diet, lifestyle and ethnicity on colon cancer risk.

You'll read about hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC, also known as Lynch syndrome) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), the most common genetic causes of colon or rectal cancer. Other genetic conditions that increase your risk are also explained, including MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP), Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) and juvenile polyposis syndrome (JPS).

The "Ick" Factor: Colon Cancer Screening
Fewer than HALF of Americans over the age of 50 have ever had any kind of colon-cancer screening test. If you've been putting off screening because of the "ick" factor, you'll want to read our chapter on Screening and Prevention, which explains your many screening choices:

Take-home fecal occult blood test (FOBT)

FIT - an alternative to the standard FOBT

Stool DNA test - the latest option

Flexible sigmoidoscopy - the five-year test

Colonoscopy - the gold standard

Double-contrast barium enema

Virtual colonoscopy - the new noninvasive option

Computed tomography - spiral CT scans, PET, MRI and ultrasound

What else can you do to prevent colon cancer? While the only known way to prevent it is to have regular colonoscopies to detect and remove precancerous polyps, researchers are looking at various medications, minerals and nutrients that may be protective.

We discuss the progress - and pitfalls - of many of the more promising options and offer bottom-line advice:

Asprin

HRT

Omega 3s

Statins

Vitamin B6

Vitamin D

For Patients Diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer:
Your Options for Treatment

If your polyp biopsy results come back positive for colon cancer, it's time to make treatment decisions, and these decisions often involve surgery. Dr. Donehower addresses many of the questions that may be on your mind as you weigh your treatment options:

What type of cancer do I have - colon or rectal?

Where is it located? Is it in more than one place?

Are the lymph glands involved? Has the cancer spread outside the colon?

What stage is the cancer?

Am I a candidate for minimally invasive therapy or do I need abdominal surgery for my colon cancer?

What's transanal edoscopic microsurgery (TEM)? What's fulguration?

What will happen during abdominal surgery for colorectal cancer?

What about recovery - how long will I be in the hospital and what complications can I expect?

Will I need adjuvant therapy after surgery - radiation, chemotherapy or both?

What drugs are used for chemotherapy?

How serious are the side effects from chemotherapy drugs?

New treatments for advanced colon cancer are emerging all the time, and can often offer hope of a longer life and better quality of life. In Colon Cancer you'll learn about:

State-of-the-art chemotherapy for treating advanced, recurrent, and metastatic colorectal cancer: "targeted" antibody therapies like Avastin, Erbitux and vertibix... transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)... hepatic artery infusion (HAI).

Radiation therapy is used most often for inoperable tumors or for tumors that have not responded to chemotherapy. Choices include: brachytherapy, intensity-modulated radiationt therapy (IMRT), intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), TheraSphere and cyberknife.

Weighing the benefits of participating in a clinical trial. A clinical trial may give you access to promising new or experimental therapies that are not available otherwise.

Palliative and hospice care

Emotional issues surrounding colon cancer and its treatments

Direct to You From Johns Hopkins - America's #1 Hospital
Colon Cancer: Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment is designed to give you unprecedented access to the expertise of the hospital consistently ranked #1 of America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -in annual rankings for more than 4,800 American hospitals.

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