Before 1980, colorectal cancer death rates were actually higher for whites than African Americans.

But, as rates began falling in the 1980′s for both blacks and white patients, decreases for whites were substantially greater than those for blacks.  Between 1985 and 2008, mortality rates for whites with colorectal cancer fell 40 percent, while black rates declined by less than 20 percent.

The decrease in black death rates was higher than those for whites at every stage at diagnosis, but strikingly different when cancer had spread to distant sites.   For whites whose colon or rectal cancer was first found at stage IV, death rates fell by more than 30 percent, while black rates declined by less than 5 percent.

Over time, five year survival after regional and distant diagnoses grew for white patients but remained essentially unchanged for blacks. Read the rest of this entry »

Contrary to what is happening for people over fifty, rates of colon and rectal cancer are rising in younger adults.

While new colorectal cancers in older people have fallen consistently since 1985, rates for people under 50 have risen, particularly for rectal cancer.

Even more concerning, young people with colon cancer were diagnosed at later, less curable stages than those 50 or older. Almost two-thirds had a stage III or IV cancer compared to half of people diagnosed at a later age.

In the Archives of Internal Medicine, Nancy You, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and her colleagues ask, “Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Is It Time to Pay Attention?”

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ASCO in Action has updated information on the best way to obtain imported leucovorin in solution.

Teva Pharmaceuticals customer service provided them with detailed instructions to help hospitals, pharmacies, and oncology practices obtain imported calcium folinate solution.

Teva has FDA approval to import calcium folinate solution which is the same strength as the powdered leucovorin approved for sale in the United States once water is added.

Please be clear that individual patients cannot obtain the drug themselves.  It must be requested by pharmacists or physicians, and the requests must be approved by Teva. Read the rest of this entry »

Being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes makes it more likely that men and women with colorectal cancer will die from colon or rectal cancer, from cardiovascular disease, or from any cause.

Diabetes increased risk of dying from colorectal cancer about 30 percent and more than doubled chances of dying from heart disease or stroke.  Overall deaths among early stage colon and rectal cancer patients was increased about 50 percent when they had diabetes before their colorectal cancer diagnosis.

For patients initially diagnosed with stage I, II, or III cancer, the chance of not dying from colorectal cancer within 5 years was 82 percent with Type 2 diabetes and 87 percent without it.

Five years after a colorectal cancer diagnosis about 3 out of 10 patients with diabetes died from any disease, compared to 2 out of 10 without diabetes.

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In a nutshell:

A brief look this week at

• Blood sugar and colorectal cancer risk
• Outcomes for people with defective mismatch repair on oxaliplatin
• Medicare’s preventive services

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