Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and the third most common cause of death for both men and women after lung and prostate for men and lung and breast for women. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2020, 104,610 people will be diagnosed with CRC and 53,200 people will die from the disease alone. Fortunately, the incidence of CRC has declined steadily in recent years and is largely attributed to the detection and removal of precancerous polyps with CRC screening.
Although the overall incidence is declining, incidence in patients under the age of 50 is still on the rise as screening is not as common. Surgery is considered the first-line therapy for CRC and is generally elective. Chemotherapy and radiation are also treatment options in more advanced stages. Unfortunately, patients with CRC may present to the emergency department with complications such as perforation, hemorrhage, and obstruction, as well as general complications secondary to chemotherapy and radiation. This chapter focuses on (1) the diagnosis of CRC in the emergency department and (2) the recognition and management of patients with complications associated with CRC that present to the emergency department.
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Acknowledgments
We are thankful for the images provided by Drs. Fergus Coakley and Elena Korngold, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
We express additional thanks for Dr. Charles R. Thomas, Jr., for providing critical editorial assistance during the final stages of the chapter.
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Sikka, V., Popli, R.K., Cutolo, E.P. (2021). Colorectal Cancer Screening. In: Todd, K.H., Thomas, Jr., C.R., Alagappan, K. (eds) Oncologic Emergency Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67123-5_13
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