Cancer can turn your world upside down – and having colorectal cancer may be especially trying, as it affects some of the most basic body functions, including bowel and bladder routines, nutrition and food intake, emotions, fertility and mor
Colorectal Cancer
If you’ve been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, surgery may be a primary part of your treatment. You’ll want to choose a colorectal surgeon and treatment center with the tools and expertise to offer you your best chance for positive outcomes in terms of both your survival and your quality of life.
For patients like Marlea who live almost two hours from Roswell Park’s main campus in Buffalo, NY, the Jamestown location provides the full range of services, much closer to home.
From the moment my wife Kelly Ann and I walked in the door at Roswell Park, everyone was friendly and helpful.
“The best screening test is the one that gets done,” Dr. Nurkin says.
Deciding to seek a second opinion turned out to be the first of the many times Stefanie appreciated the individualized, multidisciplinary care she got from Roswell Park’s team of experts.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in both men and women. Although it is slightly more common in men, 1 in every 24 women will be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer at some point in her life.
The differences between left-sided and right-sided colon cancers include why and how the cancer developed, whether it produces noticeable symptoms, and the cancer’s aggressiveness and how well it responds to usual chemotherapy regimens.
Some colon polyps are benign, which means they are not cancerous, but some can be precancerous or cancerous.
“We’ve come a long way,” he says. "That’s thanks to our phenomenal team, with dedicated surgical technicians and nurses.”
While some risk factors, including a genetic predisposition for disease, cannot be controlled, research has shown certain lifestyle factors, like a healthy diet, exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight, could prevent nearly half of the cases of colorectal cancers diagnosed in the United States every year.
This year, there will be over 100,000 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in the United States, so I want to educate the public on some preemptive steps and lifestyle changes that can successfully alter the development of this disease.