Chemoprevention of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. It is estimated that this cancer will develop in 130,000 people in the United States in 2000 and that 56,000 will die from the disease.1 Surgical resection remains the only curative treatment, and the likelihood of cure is greater when the disease is detected at an earlier pathological stage. Early detection is the goal of screening programs that use periodic examination of stool for occult blood, with or without intermittent endoscopic examination of the bowel. Three randomized studies have shown a reduction in mortality of 15 . . .