The colon, often referred to as the large intestine, is the site of one of the most common cancers in the world. According to MedicineNet.com, cancer of the colon and rectum is the third most common cancer in males and the fourth most common cancer in females. The National Cancer Institute estimated that in 2009 there would be more than 49,000 deaths from colorectal cancer and nearly 150,000 new cases. Knowing the best places to treat this disease is information vital to survival, as early detection and proper treatment is key.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Located in New York City, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center was ranked second as an overall cancer hospital by U.S. News and World Report. Getting colorectal cancer treatment from Sloan-Kettering is advantageous in many ways because not only do they provide the means for early detection and treatment through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but also many of the physicians are clinical investigators. This means patients often have access to the newest clinical trials that evaluate new approaches to fighting the disease, according to the cancer center's website.
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Caner Center
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center is located in Baltimore, Maryland within Johns Hopkins Hospital. This treatment and research facility ranks at or near the top in a variety of disease fighting capacities, including colorectal cancer.
Clinicians and researchers at John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center boast being the forerunners in early detection methods that ultimately save the lives of cancer patients. The Kimmel Center was the first to decode the colon cancer genome and their studies are expected to provide anticancer agents that could stop the actual initiation of cancer at the earliest moments. The work at the Kimmel Center has already led to blood tests to screen people for colon cancer who have a family history of the disease. The center is also on the cutting edge of surgery techniques for removing tumors in advanced cases of colon cancer, including cryotherapy, according to the cancer center's website.
The Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota is a leader in colon cancer treatment and diagnosis. Among the treatments available at The Mayo Clinic are procedures not widely available at all treatment facilities, including minimally invasive surgery, intraoperative radiation therapy and several colostomy-sparing procedures, according to the clinic's website.
The Mayo Clinic has one of the largest colon and rectal surgical practices in the world, performing more than 2500 surgeries per year for tumor removal and more than 30,000 colonoscopies for screening purposes. The clinic is also a world leader in using "virtual colonoscopy," an emerging technology for diagnosis.
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