Although colon cancer is the third-most-frequently diagnosed malignancy, its death rate has bean steadily decreasing over the past 15 years. This hopeful statistic can most likely be attributed to an increase in the number of us who are getting screened, and therefore finding those pre-cancerous polyps before they get a chance to develop into full-blown cancer.

We are finally one step ahead of cancer!

Who is most at risk
The following are the groups of people who are most--and least--likely to develop colon cancer:

• African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer than any other race. This can be attributed to socio-economic factors that prevent them from getting screenings and early diagnosis.

• Jews of Eastern European descent also have a high risk of developing colon cancer. Studies suggest that they possess a genetic tendency to develop certain cancers.

• American Indians and Pacific Islanders have the lowest incidence of colon cancer. Researchers believe that this is due to these groups' predominantly low-fat diet.

Colon cancer by the numbers
Although there are certain characteristics that increase our risk of developing colon cancer, it is important to remember that there are thousands of us affected by this disease everyday--and many of us don't fit into any of these classifications.

Epidemiologists say that 150,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer by the end of 2005. Of that number, 60,000 of us will not survive our illness. Every four minutes, one of us is diagnosed with colon cancer, and every ten minutes one of us loses our battle with the disease.

There is no time to waste: Get screened or tell a friend to get screened today!

See also

• Colon cancer - introduction
• Colon cancer - prevention
• Colon cancer - causes and risk factors
• Colon cancer - detection and diagnosis
• Colon cancer - treatment options
• Colon cancer - prognosis
• Colon cancer - support