Colorectal cancer: update on recent advances and their impact on screening protocols.

As the third leading cause of cancer cases and deaths in the United States, colorectal cancer has been an area of intense interest. The objectives of this article are, through a review of the literature published between 1995 to 1998, to examine current trends in the epidemiology of colorectal cancer, new information on genetic, dietary, and other risk factors; to evaluate the effectiveness of current screening guidelines for various populations; to review information on chemoprevention; and finally to examine new concepts on the horizon in the area of colorectal cancer research. Much of the recent research in the field has focused on etiology, dietary, and other risk factors.