Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, also known as colon cancer, rectal cancer, or bowel cancer, is a cancer in the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine), or in the appendix. Genetic analysis shows that essentially colon and rectal tumours are genetically the same cancer.[1] Symptoms of colorectal cancer typically include rectal bleeding and anemia which are sometimes associated with weight loss and changes in bowel habits (defecation pattern). The term bowel cancer and rectal cancer are names for the same thing, and all of them are colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer | |
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Classification and external resources | |
![]() Diagram of the lower gastrointestinal tract | |
ICD-10 | C18.-C20./C21. |
ICD-9 | 153.0-154.1 |
ICD-O: | M8140/3 (95% of cases) |
OMIM | 114500 |
DiseasesDB | 2975 |
MedlinePlus | 000262 |
eMedicine | med/413 med/1994 ped/3037 |
It is estimated that worldwide, 1.23 million new cases of colorectal cancer are clinically diagnosed and that it kills 608,000 people per year.[2]

Colorectal Cancer Media
Longitudinally opened freshly resected colon segment showing a cancer and four polyps. Plus a schematic diagram indicating a likely field defect (a region of tissue that precedes and predisposes to the development of cancer) in this colon segment. The diagram indicates sub-clones and sub-sub-clones that were precursors to the tumors.
Relative incidence of various histopathological types of colorectal cancer. The vast majority of colorectal cancers are adenocarcinomas.
Related pages
References
- ↑ Cancer Genome Atlas Network (19 July 2012). "Comprehensive molecular characterization of human colon and rectal cancer". Nature. 487 (7407): 330–337. Bibcode:2012Natur.487..330T. doi:10.1038/nature11252. PMC 3401966. PMID 22810696.
- ↑ Colorectal Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence Worldwide in 2008 — Summary. Available from: Ferlay J, Shin HR, Bray F, Forman D, Mathers C, Parkin DM. (2010) GLOBOCAN 2008 v2.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 10 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. Accessed on 11 Oct 2012.