Colon and Rectal Cancer

Scope of the Problem Approximately 130,000 Americans develop colon or rectal cancer each year. This

accounts for 10% of the cancers diagnosed each year, as well as 10% of the cancerspecific deaths. Colorectal cancer is the third most common site o f malignancy in both men and women, and the third most lethal cancer in either sex. Unlike the situation with many other cancers, the incidence and mortality rates are relatively similar between males and females. When men and women are combined, colon and rectal cancer is second only to lung cancer in the incidence of annual deaths.