Colorectal cancer: description

Colorectal cancer, cancer of the cells that line the inside of the colon and rectum, is the third most common cancer worldwide (Globocan 2002), with about one million new cases annually (more than 200 000 new cases annually in Europe Union as well in USA) it ranks 4th among cancer deaths, accounting for more than 10 percent of all cancer deaths.

In most cases, colorectal cancer develops from an outgrowth of the colon wall called a polyp. However, not all polyps change into cancers: only those which are of a certain size (i.e. more than 1 cm) and are adenomatous and villous can be transformed into cancerous tumors. So it is very important to detect these minor tumors and to treat them simply, thus avoiding their transformation into cancers.