Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in men under age 50, and the second-leading cause in women in that age group. But fewer than 20% of the more than 19 million Americans between ages 45 and 49 have been screened for the disease.
The recommendation is that everyone start getting screened at 45 — and even younger if they have risk factors such as a family history of the disease or certain chronic gastrointestinal conditions.
Many people hate the idea of a colonoscopy. However, it's the only screening test that can not only detect colorectal cancer, but prevent it too.
How? By spotting precancerous polyps and allowing the doctor to remove them immediately.
What about the new at-home screening tests?
A study from Stanford Medicine looked at 100,000 people and determined that if those people weren't screened, there would be 7,470 cases of colorectal cancer and 3,624 deaths.
If that number of people used the newest blood test, there would be 4,300 cases and about 1,600 deaths.
Among those using at-home, stool-based tests, there would be 2,200 cases of colorectal cancer and around 1,000 deaths.
But among those who received a colonoscopy every 10 years, there would be just 1,543 cases and 672 deaths from the disease.
Clearly, some screening is better than none. But don't you want the greatest chance of avoiding or surviving colorectal cancer? Talk to your doctor about your best option.