The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy is urging everyone 50 years and older to get screened for colorectal cancer.
Here's what you should know.
1. Colorectal cancer is preventable if detected early. Analysts expect CRC to kill 50,630 people in 2018.
2. ASGE recommends beginning routine screening at 50 years and completing either a colonoscopy every 10 years or a fecal immunochemical test annually.
3. African-American patients face a higher CRC risk. ASGE recommends they start CRC screening earlier than age 50, but did not provide an exact age.
4. A concerning trend is an increase in CRC in people under the age of 50. The industry is unsure why CRC rates are increasing for that subgroup, but research is being conducted in an attempt to find out.
5. ASGE President Karen Woods, MD, said, "We want to remind everyone that colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable. If you get screened on time, you can have precancerous polyps removed. And if cancer is found early, it is highly treatable."