Rectal Conditions

Erbitux May Help Some With Colorectal Cancer

WEDNESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- People with advanced colorectal cancer were modestly helped by the drug Erbitux, as long as they didn't have a particular gene mutation, a new study reports.

Gene Mutation Doubles Risk of Aggressive Colon Cancer in Blacks

WEDNESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- A genetic mutation may explain why blacks are more likely than whites to have a more aggressive form of colorectal cancer, U.S. researchers report.

Blacks With Rectal Cancer 23% Less Likely To Get Chemotherapy Than Whites

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Blacks with rectal cancer are 23 percent less likely to get chemotherapy than whites, even when they see a cancer specialist, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They also found that blacks were 12 percent less likely to get radiation therapy than whites. The study is the latest to show that blacks in the United States get less treatment for cancer than whites and are more apt to die from their cancers.