Colorectal Cancer

Have you been screened for colorectal cancer? As a patient with cancer or a cancer survivor, you need to pay attention to your regular cancer screenings, because getting a second cancer is a possibility. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be.

In 2013, Earl Shellner was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. What followed was a year of aggressive treatment that included surgical removal of his colon, large intestine, rectum, and anus. He began his first round of chemotherapy, followed by 25 sessions of radiation and, finally, his last round of chemotherapy.

Colorectal cancer starts in the colon or the rectum. Colorectal cancer can also be referred to separately as colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where it starts. Colon cancer and rectal cancer have many features in common.

"When an associate says something I don’t especially like, I turn the other cheek. When I’m out walking with my grandchildren, I always bring up the rear," says Corinne Tucker in her playful, pun-filled take on rectal cancer.

A cancer survivor who has had a lifelong love of motorcycles, Jerry organized the Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer just 16 months after his diagnosis. This annual cruise brings together riders to raise money for various cancer-related organizations. Since 2004, they have raised over $1 million.

Singer and songwriter Melissa Marshall was 51 when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in September 2013. After a lengthy battle Melissa was cured, and began a crusade of inspiration and education.

Melissa Marshall aims to correct common misconceptions people have about colorectal cancer and ostomy bags and hopes to empower other colorectal cancer survivors to overcome any shame they may feel.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! Flip through this slideshow featuring the top risk factors for colorectal cancer, symptoms to look out for, and more. Conquer cancer with knowledge.

Wenora Y. Johnson, 3-time survivor, shares her cancer story and encourages patients to ask their care team about biomarker testing.

When Melissa Marshall went in for a hip surgery, which she attributed to her being a performer and her age, she discovered she had rectal cancer. Currently in remission and cancer-free, Melissa has launched the No You Cant’cer Foundation and written a song with the same title about her cancer journey.

Don’t take chances with your health. Many colorectal cancer symptoms are overlooked, so pay attention to these clues.

When treatment for advanced colon cancer forced Cindy Simpson Wise to slow her busy pace, she found comfort in surrounding herself with nature’s beauty and in focusing on hope and joy.

Wenora Y. Johnson, 3-time survivor, shares her cancer story and encourages patients to ask their care team about biomarker testing.

As a psychologist dedicated to helping people cope with disasters, Jamie D. Aten knew the damage “survivor’s guilt” can do. As a stage IV colon cancer survivor, he says, “I wasn’t prepared for it to hit me personally.”

Oncology dietitian Julie Lanford offers tips on how to reduce the risk of colon cancer, as well as strategies for survivors during and after cancer treatment.

Lynch syndrome is a hereditary genetic abnormality that can cause several types of cancer. Wenora Johnson discovered that it ran in her family after she had treatment for colon cancer. Knowing that she was at a high risk for certain cancers, and having 2 children already, she had her ovaries and uterus removed, as prevention.

A new study was presented at the 2020 ASCO meeting that compared, for the first time, the use of immunotherapy versus chemotherapy for treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair-deficient abnormalities.

New study results presented at the 2020 ASCO annual meeting suggest that there is a new standard of care for the first-line treatment of some patients with advanced colorectal cancer. This was the first study to compare the use of Keytruda (pembrolizumab), a PD-1 inhibitor, versus chemotherapy to see which is the best first treatment for patients with metastatic (spreading) colorectal cancer and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) abnormalities.

The use of first-line immunotherapy combination with Opdivo (nivolumab) and low-dose Yervoy (ipilimumab) continues to show robust, long-term benefit in patients with microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or with mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) metastatic (spreading) colorectal cancer, according to new study results presented at the 2020 ASCO annual meeting.

Six months before he was diagnosed with stage IIIB colorectal cancer, both of Joe Bullock’s parents passed away. Chemotherapy hit him hard and stirred a mixture of depression and feelings of inadequacy as a husband and father. Then he discovered the power of opening up.

Joe Bullock finally heard the 3 little letters he’d been waiting to hear since his colorectal cancer diagnosis: NED. But he wasn’t expecting the uncertainty that shortly followed, feeling stuck in the in-between phase “after cancer.”

Find financial assistance programs available for colorectal cancer drugs.