New consensus colorectal cancer guidelines released today state for the first time that the primary goal of colorectal cancer screening is cancer prevention. Previous guidelines have given equal weight to tests for detecting cancer and preventing cancer. By removing polyps from the large bowel, colonoscopy is the only screening test that also prevents colorectal cancer.

Flat, non-polypoid colorectal neoplasms (NP-CRNs), which may be difficult to detect, appear to be relatively common and may have a greater association with cancer compared with the more routinely diagnosed type of colorectal polyps, according to a study in the March 5 issue of JAMA.

About 20% CRC patients have a genetic component and HNPCC is the most common autosomal dominant hereditary syndrome. Some Chinese HNPCC pedigrees were recently reported in the January 14, 2008 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology because of their great significance for hereditary CRC. This article will undoubtedly bring comfort to many families.

New evidence suggests screening for colorectal cancer, which is now recommended to begin at age 50 for most people, should start five to 10 years earlier for individuals with a significant lifetime exposure to tobacco smoke, a University of Rochester Medical Center study said.

A new study shows that health care providers play a key role in the likelihood their patients are screened for colorectal cancer.

Smokers have a two-fold increased risk of developing colorectal polyps, the suspected underlying cause of most colorectal cancers (CRC), according to a study published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

The use of regular, long-term aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduces the risk associated with colorectal cancer, according to a study published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

Patients who have had a colonoscopy can play a life-saving role by encouraging other patients to follow through with their own colorectal cancer screenings, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Two recently released studies confirm an alarming reality, that a majority of Americans who should be getting screened for colorectal cancer are not.

A clear, direct link between obesity and colorectal cancer, the second most common form of cancer in Australia with more than 12,000 new cases each year, has been shown in a new analysis by The George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Australia.

A new study finds significant underuse of colorectal cancer screening procedures among Medicare beneficiaries. The study, published in the January 15, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, show that only 25 percent of Medicare patients received recommended screening during the study period.

Women with diabetes are 1.5 times more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those who do not have the metabolic disorder, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota.