The Associated Press reports, "Colon cancer deaths could drop dramatically in the next decade because of better screening and treatment, according to an optimistic new prediction by top researchers."
"This trend is mostly a result of earlier diagnoses," says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross agrees: "Treatments are minimally beneficial at this point. They say in the report that smoking and consumption of red meat contribute to colon cancer. Smoking is slightly tied to it, but the data on red meat and colon cancer is equivocal at best. You probably won't reduce your risk by cutting out red meat. But everyone fifty or over, or those with other risk factors such as a family history or polyps, should have a regular colonoscopy."
