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Clinical trials are the main way that researchers discover whether preventive strategies and treatments are safe and effective. Participating in a trial can help you learn more about your specific situation and may lead to new knowledge and help for others. To learn more and find out about trials that are looking for participants, contact:

• The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, which has a TrialCheck Web site
• The National Institutes of Health
• The Colorectal Cancer Coalition, which offers a free service to match patients with clinical trials. Call (866) 278-0392.

The Colorectal Cancer Coalition: An activist group, it aims to provide advocacy, support and information for colon cancer patients. The Web site tracks colon cancer-related news, and the group puts out a newsletter twice a year that contains information on research, treatment, legislation and other issues of interest to patients.

The Colon Cancer Alliance: An organization aimed at supporting colon cancer patients, this is the patient-oriented partner to Katie Couric's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance.

The National Cancer Institute: The organization's Colon and Rectal home page, run by the National Institutes of Health, provides general information on the illness, as well as treatment strategies, screening tests and up-to-date information on clinical trials.

The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable: This group is a coalition of public, private and voluntary organizations involved with colon cancer. The Web site offers links to a host of educational materials about the disease, its prevention and treatment.

The American Cancer Society: This organization offers clear, easy-to-understand information about colon cancer, ways to prevent it and treatment options.

Baron, John et al. New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 348, p. 891, March 2003. "A randomized trial of aspirin to prevent colorectal adenomas." This paper reports the potential benefit of a daily baby aspirin in preventing polyps and recurring colon cancers.

Friedenreich, Christine et al. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, vol. 15, p. 2398, December 2006. "Physical activity and risk of colon and rectal cancers: The European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition." This paper reports on one of the largest ongoing studies of lifestyle factors affecting cancer risk. In this study the authors found that participants who were most active had a significantly lower risk of colon cancer than their more sedentary counterparts.

Ingraham, B.A. et al. Current Medical Research and Opinion, vol 24, p. 139. January 2008. "Molecular basis of the potential of vitamin D to prevent cancer." This article reviews research from several scientific disciplines and concludes that there is increasing evidence to support the hypothesis that vitamin D can protect against cancer. 

Martinez, M.E. Recent Results in Cancer Research, vol. 166, p. 177, 2005. "Primary prevention of colorectal cancer: Lifestyle, nutrition, exercise." This article provides an overview of many of the lifestyle factors thought to contribute to colon cancer and concludes there is sufficient evidence that it is possible to prevent the disease by following a healthy lifestyle.

Haiman, Christopher A. et al, Nature Genetics, vol. 39, p. 954, August 2007. "A common genetic risk factor for colorectal and prostate cancer." This paper identifies the particular region on chromosome 8 that affects colon cancer risk.

Tomlinson, Ian et al. Nature Genetics, vol. 40, p. 623, May 2008. “A genome-wide association study identifies colorectal cancer susceptibility loci on chromosomes 10p14 and 8q23.3.” In this study, researchers found two previously unreported locations on the genome linked with a higher risk of colorectal cancer.

Tenesa, Albert, et al. Nature Genetics, vol. 40, p. 631, May 2008. “Genome-wide association scan identifies a colorectal cancer susceptibility locus on 11q23 and replicates risk loci at 8q24 and 18q21.” These researchers found a new genetic location associated with increased risk for colorectal cancer and confirmed two previously identified locations.