Colorectal cancer mortality rate

About 10% of all cancer deaths are a result of cancer of the colon or rectum. It is estimated that 56,290 individuals will die of colorectal cancer in the United States in 2005, despite a decline in overall combined mortality for both colon and rectal cancer observed during the last 20 years. For women, the decline in colorectal cancer mortality rates has been evident since 1950, whereas death rates among men did not start to decline until the late 1970s. These trends in mortality rates are similar to those observed in other countries. Overall mortality rates remain higher among African-American males and females, and the rates of decline are lower as compared to those for white males and females. Colorectal cancer mortality rates are lower for Hispanics, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and Asian/Paciflc Islanders than for whites or African-Americans. Factors contributing to the overall... 

Although it is difficult to compare trends because of large year-to-year variations in colorectal cancer incidence rates in minority population groups, downward trends in colorectal cancer incidence appear to be greater for whites, African-Americans, Asian/Paciflc Islanders, and American Indian/Alaskan Native Americans than for Hispanics. Trends for incidence and mortality rates among white and African-American males and females in the United States can be compared in Fig. 127-1. 

Carcinoma of the uterine cervix is the third most common malignancy in women worldwide after breast and colorectal cancers (Parkin et al. 1999). Approximately 371,200 new cases of cervical cancer occur each year throughout the world, accounting for 10% of all cancers in women. The American Cancer Society estimated that 12,900 cases of invasive cervical cancer were expected to be diagnosed in 2001 in the United States. Primarily because of screening with the Pap smear, the incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer have declined in most developed countries. Between 1993 and 1997, the incidence rate in black women (11.4 per 100,000) was higher than the rate in white women (7.1 per 100,000). An estimated 4,400 cervical cancer deaths were expected to occur in 2001 in the U.S. Since 1982, cervical cancer mortality rates have declined at an average of about 1.5% per year. 

However, several types of cancer do not respond well to treatment. For example, the majority of metastatic cancers cannot be cured by current chemotherapeutic methods or by any other type of treatment.11 In addition, some of the most common forms of adult neoplastic disease are difficult to treat by using anticancer drugs. As indicated in Table 36-9, the number of deaths associated with colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer is unacceptably high, and the mortality rate for lung cancer and pancreatic cancer is well over 90 percent in both men and women. 

A prospective American Cancer Society study found an increase in the mortality rates for colorectal and prostate cancer in overweight men and for endometrial, gallbladder, cervical, ovarian and breast cancer in overweight women (Lew 1985). An association with obesity is now firmly established for breast cancer in post-menopausal women, as well as for endometrial cancer and for renal cell cancer. Obesity may also play a part in the pathogenesis of colorectal, prostatic and pancreatic cancers in men (Caroll 1998). 

For both adult men and women, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. An estimated 56,290 deaths will occur during 2005. Overall, the mortality and incidence associated with colorectal cancer has decreased during the past 30 years. Mortality rates associated with colorectal cancer in the United States are comparable to those of other industrialized areas around the world. ... 

Allelic loss of chromosome 18q, which is located on the DCC gene, is predictive of mortality, independent of tumor differentiation, vascular invasion, and TNM stage. Five-year smvival rates decrease by 39% and 14% in patients with allelic loss of chromosome 18q and stage II or III colorectal cancer, respectively. Tumors that overexpress TS, which is responsible for converting de-oxyuridine monophosphate to deoxythymidine monophosphate, an... 

Overall, surgery for colorectal cancer is associated with a morbidity and mortality rate of 8% to 15% and 1% to 2%, respectively, depending on the type and extent of procedure. - Common complications associated with colorectal surgery include infection, anastomotic leakage, obstruction, adhesion formation, and malabsorption syndromes. 

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