Colorectal Cancer: What you need to know

Risk increases with age. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases as you get older. In fact, most cases occur in people age 50 and over.

Both men and women are at risk. Some people think that women are not at risk for colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer starts with no symptoms. Screening tests are important because they can find colorectal cancer early, when treatment works best.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers . Most colorectal cancers begin as treatable polyps, which are growths on the inner wall of the colon or rectum. Screening tests can help find these polyps so they can be removed before turning into cancer.

African-Americans are more likely than Caucasians to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a more advanced stage, and are more likely to die of it once diagnosed.

Who needs to be tested?

Beginning at age 50, the American Cancer Society recommends that all men and women be tested for colorectal cancer. People who are at increased risk (including people with inflammatory bowel disease, personal or family history of polyps or cancer) need to be tested earlier and may need more frequent screening. A doctor can help determine risk and explain testing options, which include:

• Yearly fecal occult blood test (FOBT)
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years
• Yearly FOBT and flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years (This combination is preferred over either test alone.)
• Double contrast barium enema every five years
• Colonoscopy every 10 years (Most physicians recommend, and insurers pay for, colonoscopy as the preferred method of screening.)

Resources

National Cancer Institute
www.nci.nih.gov/

American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org

American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2006

www.cancer.org/downloads/stt/CAFF06EsCsSt.pdf

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation