Terri Ades - American Cancer Societys Complete Guide to Colorectal Cancer

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Published by
American Cancer Society
Health Promotions
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA

Copyright 2006 American Cancer Society

Illustrations on pages by Eric Grafman.
2006 American Cancer Society

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America
Designed by Shock Design Inc, Atlanta, GA and Jill Dible Design, Atlanta, GA
Cover designed by Shock Design, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

5 4 3 2 1 05 06 07 08 09

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Levin, Bernard, 1924

[Complete guide to colorectal cancer]

American Cancer Societys complete guide to colorectal cancer / by Bernard Levin, Terri B. Ades, Durado Brooks. Rev. ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-944235-55-7

1. Colon (Anatomy)--Cancer. 2. Rectum--Cancer. I. Ades, Terri B. II. Brooks, Durado. III. American Cancer Society. IV. Title.

RC280.C6L46 2006
616.994347--dc22

2005024711

A Note to the Reader

The information contained in this book is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for talking with your doctor. This information may not address all possible actions, treatments, medications, precautions, side effects, or interactions. All matters regarding your health require the supervision of a medical doctor or appropriate health care professional who is familiar with your medical needs. For more information, contact your

Advisory Panel and Medical Review

Terri Ades, MS, APRN, AOCN

Director of Cancer Information, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA

Durado Brooks, MD, MPH

Director, Prostate and Colorectal Cancer, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA

John M. Dorso

Volunteer, American Cancer Society, Member, United Ostomy Association, and Colorectal Cancer Survivor, Marietta, GA

Ted Gansler, MD

Director of Medical Strategy, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA

Amy E. Kelly

Co-founder and Director, Colon Cancer Alliance, New York, NY

John S. Macdonald, MD

Professor of Medicine, Medical Director, and Chief, Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, St. Vincents Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, NY

Bruce D. Minsky, MD

Professor and Vice Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology,
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Joel E. Tepper, MD

Professor and Chair, Clinical Research, Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC

Copyeditor

Rodney Atkins

Editor

Amy Brittain

Managing Editor

Gianna Marsella, MA

Book Publishing Manager

Candace Magee

Book Publishing Director

Len Boswell

Strategic Director, Content

Chuck Westbrook

We would like to thank the many people who generously shared their personal experiences with colorectal cancer with us.

CHAPTER 1
Overview of Colorectal Cancer

CHAPTER 2
Risk Factors and Prevention

CHAPTER 3
Early Detection

CHAPTER 4
Initial Evaluation

CHAPTER 5
Diagnosis and Staging

CHAPTER 6
Understanding Your Prognosis

CHAPTER 7
Coping With Your Diagnosis

CHAPTER 8
Making the Medical System Work for You

CHAPTER 9
Making Informed Decisions About Treatment Options

CHAPTER 10
Surgery

CHAPTER 11
Radiation Therapy

CHAPTER 12
Chemotherapy

CHAPTER 13
Clinical Trials and Emerging Therapies

CHAPTER 14
Complementary and Alternative Medicine

CHAPTER 15
Strategies for Coping With Symptoms and Side Effects

CHAPTER 16
Living With a Colostomy

CHAPTER 17
Taking Care of Practical Matters: Work, Insurance, and Money

CHAPTER 18
Follow Up

CHAPTER 19
Living Well After Cancer

CHAPTER 20
When Your Loved One Has Colorectal Cancer

Katie Couric