Endothelln-1 in colorectal cancer

• Main Author: Chokkalingam, Arun
• Published: University of Leicester 2002
• Subjects: 616.99
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.495426

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United Kingdom after breast and lung cancer. In Britain, approximately 20,000 patients die from colorectal cancer each year [Reeves et aI., 1999]. The lifetime risk of developing a colorectal cancer is about 6-7% and the probability of dying from it is about 3 % [Marshall, 1996]. It is uncommon before the age of 40 years but the risk increases at that point, rising sharply from 50 years, approximately doubling with each successive decade of life. The peak incidence occurs in the seventh decade. The incidence of left sided tumours in females is less than in males, a possible protective effect of female hormonal factors in the development of colorectal carcinoma is suggested by [dos, I and Swerdlow, 1996]. The 5-year survival rate in these cancers is approximately 43 % [Gatta et aI., 1998]. While progress has been made in understanding cancer development and spread and improving treatment, the mortality from colorectal cancer has remained almost unchanged in the last two decades. In order to reduce the mortality in patients with this cancer, an effective screening test to identify cancers at an earlier stage is necessary. In spite of being one of the commonest cancers there is no established screening programme available to the general population.