One of the most common types of cancer afflicting Americans today is colorectal cancer. About 150,000 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer of the colon and rectum cancer this year. The disease affects men and women equally.

Often there are no signs of colorectal cancer, but symptoms can include change in bowel movements, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, unexplained weight loss and fatigue. Risk factors for the disease include family history of colorectal cancer, a history of polyps in the colon, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

The American Cancer Society recommends both men and women over age 50 be screened for colorectal cancer. If you have a family history of the disease, ask your doctor about earlier screening.

Screening tests for colorectal cancer include a fecal occult blood test, a sigmoidoscopy, a barium enema and a colonoscopy. These tests help doctors look inside your colon and rectum for any signs of cancer. If doctors see something unusual, they may remove some tissue and examine it under a microscope.

If you are diagnosed with colorectal cancer it's important to talk about your options with several doctors, including a radiation oncologist, a surgical oncologist and a medical oncologist, to find the treatment that's best for you.

* Surgery is the main treatment for early-stage colorectal cancer. If the disease has not spread, surgery alone may cure your cancer.

* Radiation therapy is the careful use of radiation to treat cancer. Radiation therapy works within cancer cells by damaging their ability to multiply. Radiation may be given before surgery to shrink a tumor to make it easier to remove or after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain. For rectal cancer, radiation is often used to help keep the cancer from returning and allow the patient to avoid removing the anus to preserve normal bowel function.

* Chemotherapy is medicine designed to help kill cancer cells. It may be given before or after surgery and often with radiation.

To learn more about colorectal cancer and how to treat it, visit www.rtanswers.org or call the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology at (800) 962-7876 for a free brochure. - NU

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