NewYork-Presbyterian. The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell.

Digestive Diseases

Colorectal Cancer

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What is Colorectal Cancer?

Colorectal cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the colon or rectum, parts of the large intestine that absorb nutrients and rid the body of waste, respectively.

Because colon cancer and rectal cancers have many features in common, they are sometimes referred to together as colorectal cancer.

Cancerous tumors found in the colon or rectum also may spread to other parts of the body.

More than 95 percent of colorectal cancers are adenocarcinoma, a cancer type that starts in cells that line the colon and rectum.

Incidence and Prevalence of Colorectal Cancer

The prevalence of colorectal cancer in the United States has made it the third most common cancer in the United States for both men and women.

In 2008 alone, the American Cancer Society estimated that there were 148,810 incidences colorectal cancer cases.

Colorectal cancer death is also the second leader cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Fortunately, colorectal cancer deaths have decreased, which is attributed to increased:

• colonoscopy screening
• sigmoidoscopy screening
• polyp removal