Colorectal Cancer Screenings
The American Cancer Society (ACS) issued new screening guidelines in 2018, recommending that people begin routine screening by age 45. The ACS estimated that more than 16,000 new cases of colon or rectal cancers will be diagnosed in 2018 in Americans under 50. Some people are at higher risk and should be screened earlier, including those with a personal or family history of inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer or polyps, or ovarian, endometrial or breast cancer.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that adults age 50 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer. The decision to be screened after age 75 should be made on an individual basis. If you are older than 75, ask your doctor if you should be screened. People at an increased risk of getting colorectal cancer should talk to their doctor about when to begin screening, which test is right for them, and how often to get tested.
Risk Factors for Colorectal Cancer
You are at higher risk of getting colorectal cancer if you are over the age of 50.
More than 90% of cases occur in people who are 50 years old or older. Other risk factors include having:
- Inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
- A personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps.
- A genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).
Lifestyle factors that may contribute to an increased risk of colorectal cancer include:
- Lack of regular physical activity
- A diet low in fruit and vegetables
- A low-fiber and high-fat diet, or a diet high in processed meats
- Being overweight or obese
- Consuming alcohol
- Tobacco use
Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer
Symptoms of colon cancer can include:
- A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days.
- A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that is not relieved by doing so.
- Rectal bleeding.
- Dark stools, or blood in the stool.
- Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain.
- Weakness and fatigue.
- Unintended weight loss.
Many of these symptoms can also be caused by something that isn't cancer, including infection, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease. If you have any of these issues, it is a sign that you should go to the doctor so the cause can be identified and treated.
When colorectal cancer does turn out to be the cause, it's important to realize that these symptoms have generally appeared only after the cancer has grown or spread. That's why it's best to be tested for colorectal cancer before ever having any symptoms. When colorectal cancer is found early, before it has spread anywhere, the 5-year relative survival rate is 92%. This means more than 9 out of 10 people with early-stage cancer survive at least 5 years. But if the cancer has had a chance to spread outside the colon or rectum, survival rates are lower.
Colorectal cancer is actually the only cancer that can be prevented during a screening procedure. That's because during a colonoscopy, physicians can find and remove pre-cancerous growths called polyps.