How are you doing? I thought you would have a higher chance of developing colorectal cancer when you get older because of my ethnic background and family history. However, I was not absolutely correct. According to the Standford geriatrics website, there is limited direct correlation between family history and actual diagnosis of colorectal cancer between the Chinese American and Western populations. Nevertheless, your fate is still on a roller coaster ride according to the cancer facts.
As described in Haggar's 2002 article, colorectal cancer accounts for 9% of all cancer incidence globally. It is the major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. The risk factors and prevalence of men and women getting this cancer are about the same. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. And, we are not alone. Countries such as, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and parts of Europe also have high incidence of this type of cancer. On the other hand, it is not much of a concern in China, India, parts of Africa, and South America. Half of the incidence of global colorectal cancer would lead to mortality. I wonder why there is a geographic difference? Could it be their diet? Exercise? Lack of access to diagnosis or treatment, maybe? Well, I still have to keep you and your buddy, rectum, in good shape since you and I live in a red flag country.
According to the American Cancer Association in 2015, about 93,090 new cases of colon cancer, about 39,610 new cases of rectal cancer, and about 49,700 deaths from colorectal cancer. In general, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20. Although these data are scary, there is a silver lining. People's chance of dying from colorectal cancer has been going down for more than 20 years. There are more than one million survivors Thank you for the early diagnosis and medical treatments Maybe by the time as we age to a point, there would be a cure for colorectal cancer around the world.
Yours sincerely,
Jumbo
References:
Deshpande, PhD MPH, A., Shootman, PhD, M., & Mayer, MPH, A. (2015). Development of a claims-based algorithm to identify colorectal cancer recurrence. Annals of Epidemiology, 25(4), 297-300. Retrieved April 9, 2015, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/science/article/pii/S1047279715000277
Haggar, F. A., & Boushey, R. P. (2009). Colorectal Cancer Epidemiology: Incidence, Mortality, Survival, and Risk Factors. Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, 22(4), 191–197. doi:10.1055/s-0029-1242458
(n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from https://geriatrics.stanford.edu/ethnomed/chinese/health_risk_patterns/cancer/colon.html
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