Colon / Colorectal Cancer

For almost a year, Daniel Szkarlat thought his intestinal pain was due to an ulcer. When the symptoms didn't go away, a colonoscopy found he had a large mass. His doctor removed the mass and 33 lymph nodes and said he wouldn't need chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Dan and his wife weren't so sure, so they got a second opinion from John Krauss, M.D., director of the Multidisciplinary Colorectal Cancer Clinic at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.

Chris Zimmer thought he was in perfect health when he turned 50. But when he went in for his first routine colonoscopy, he was stunned to learn he had a large tumor. More than that, the tumor was stage 4 rectal cancer. While the treatment wasn't easy, Zimmer believes his love of the outdoors and exercise helped him get through the difficult times.

The cancer is especially deadly for African-Americans, whose mortality rate is more than 50 percent higher than non-Hispanic whites, according to the National Cancer Institute. That’s due in part to a disparity in screening levels, researchers say. Screenings, which look for a problem before symptoms arise, help doctors to catch growths or polyps before they become cancerous.