Thirteen beautiful men and women raise awareness about an ugly topic: colorectal cancer. These sexy survivors are showing their scars hoping to save lives.

German physicians have successfully used ovarian tissue implants to restore fertility to a 32-year-old cancer survivor who lost her ability to get pregnant after receiving treatments for anal cancer. Knowing the tumor’s close proximity to reproductive organs increased the possibility of infertility, doctors at Erlangen University Hospital removed healthy ovarian tissue from the young woman [...]

Representatives from five major US cancer care groups have collaborated to create new colorectal cancer screening guidelines designed to detect precancerous adenomas and malignant tumors in patients showing no symptoms. The American Cancer Society, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American College of Radiology [...]

A study of 3,450 colorectal cancer patients conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center suggests smokers should start getting screened for colon cancer 10 years earlier than their non-smoking counterparts. The American Cancer Society and other cancer experts currently recommend most people begin getting colonoscopies at age 50. However, Rochester’s investigation indicates age 50 [...]

Patients being treated for metastatic colorectal cancer in Europe just got a new treatment option. Capecitabine, which is marketed by Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company Roche under the trade name Xeloda, has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. European health officials approved the oral tablets for use in combination with [...]

Effective April 1, 2008, Aetna (NYSE: AET) will no longer cover an anesthetic commonly used during colonoscopies, a diagnostic tool used to detect colorectal cancer. Similar exclusions have already been implemented by WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) and Humana (NYSE: HUM). The drug propofol, marketed under the trade name Diprivan, is used to thoroughly sedate patients so [...]

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison is reporting results of a study showing virtual colonoscopies are just as effective as traditional colonoscopies at detecting potentially cancerous growths. CT Colonography (commonly referred to as virtual colonoscopy, VC, or CTC) uses CT imaging and computers to create a 3D view of [...]

According to the Minnesota Cancer Surveillance System, American Indians face a 60 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer and are significantly more likely to die of the disease than their non-Indian counterparts. And while colorectal cancer rates have been falling in other populations, rates among American Indians have continued to rise. Tribal leaders and medical [...]

Researchers at the University of South Carolina have received a five-year, $10.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue studying colon cancer. The sizable grant will be used to fund comprehensive studies focused on finding causes, prevention methods, and effective treatments for colorectal cancer at the university’s Center for Colon Cancer Research [...]

If you want to know more about colorectal cancer therapies, and aren’t squeamish, then this newly released webcast of distinguished physicians discussing innovative treatment options might be for you. The information is presented from both the medical and surgical perspectives and is accompanied by footage of actual surgeries. Source: New York-Presbyterian Hospital Related Links: OR-Live [...]