Colorectal Cancer
Prevalent cancer with new treatment options
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also called bowel cancer, is the third most deadly cancer among women and the fourth in men. Worldwide, it is responsible for around 529,000 deaths per year1.
Metastatic bowel or CRC - sometimes abbreviated as mCRC - is cancer that started in the colon (large intestine) or rectum but has spread to another part of the body. Because blood from the colon goes directly to the liver, it is often the first place CRC spreads to (metastasizes). About a quarter of people diagnosed with CRC already have metastatic CRC.2
How mCRC is treated depends on how advanced the disease is, where it is located, and on the overall health status of the patient. Patients commonly receive a mixture of different types of treatment, including chemotherapy and newer therapies that specifically target cancer cells. In early stages of CRC, surgery is a particularly important treatment option. If the malignant tissue can be entirely removed, there is the possibility of a cure.
1 IARC World Cancer Report 2008
2 Cunningham D, et al. Eur J Cancer 1993;29A:2077-9. 2006
2 Cunningham D, et al. Eur J Cancer 1993;29A:2077-9. 2006
