Get Your BUTT Checked: March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Colorectal Cancer Facts

• Colorectal cancer screening should begin at age 45. Screening is the No. 1 way to prevent colorectal cancer. 1 in 3 eligible adults are still not getting screened. 

• The CDC estimates that 68% of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented if all eligible people were screened. Get a free screening recommendation based on personal risk factors at quiz.getscreened.org.

• In 2023, an estimated 153,020 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the U.S., and an estimated 52,550 will die, making colorectal cancer the second-leading cause of cancer deaths.
  
• The average lifetime risk of colorectal cancer is 1 in 24, and age is the biggest risk factor.

• Colorectal cancer is highly preventable with screening. With early detection, it's highly treatable.
  
• The most common symptom of colorectal cancer is no symptom.
  
• The incidence rate of young-onset colorectal cancer is rising. In people under 50 years old, the incidence rate is increasing by 1.5% every year. Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among men aged 20-49 years.
  
• People who have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, offspring) with colorectal cancer have two to three times the risk of developing the disease. They should speak to a doctor about getting screened earlier than normal.
  
• Simple ways to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer include: 

• eating healthy
• not smoking
• exercising regularly
• maintaining a healthy weight
• limiting red meat intake