Colorectal cancer deaths have fallen in the United States this decade, but the racial gap in colon cancer death rates is widening, according to American Cancer Society Research being released Monday. Colon and rectal cancer death rates are now nearly 50 percent higher in blacks than in whites, according to the research.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
The American Cancer Society estimates that the disease will take the lives of about 50,000 Americans in 2008.

The death rate was about 48 percent higher in blacks than it was for whites, the report has shown. Among blacks, there were about 25 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 17 per 100,000 in whites.

According to the report, blacks are les likely to be screened and more likely to be diagnosed after the cancer has spread to other organs. Blacks are also less likely to get the recommended surgical treatment, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation treatment after a cancer diagnosis.

A recent report has shown that incidence rates for all cancers for men and women combined dropped by 0.8% per year from 1999 through 2005, with the rates for men dropping at about three times the rate for women.

Cancer of the colon and rectum includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. The spread of colon cancer to other organs is called metastasis of the colon cancer. Colorectal cancer causes 655,000 deaths worldwide per year.

The disease typically begins as a non-cancerous growth called a polyp. Early screening can find these polyps before they become cancer. Studies have shown that home screening for colorectal cancers could reduce the death rate from the disease by catching it in the earliest stages. The government of the Canadian province of Ontario – a region with one of the highest rates of colorectal cancers – recently began promoting home fecal occult tests, a screening tool that tests for blood in the stool.

Another problem is represented by the lack of health insurance. A report published by the American Cancer Society last year has revealed that uninsured Americans were less likely to get screened for cancer and more likely to be diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease.

The government task force recommendations say everyone ages 50 to 75 should get screened with one of the tests: a colonoscopy for the entire colon every 10 years, a sigmoidoscopy of the lower colon every five years, combined with a stool blood test every three years and a stool blood test every year. Checking more lymph nodes improves the rate of survival from colon cancer because it helps doctors to accurately diagnose the stage of the disease and to find the most effective treatment.

There are some simple steps Americans can do in order to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer: get screened regularly, adopt a physically active lifestyle, consume a healthy diet, limit your alcohol consumption.