Colorectal cancer (CRC) occurs when cells in the colon (large intestine) or rectum (the passageway connecting the colon to the anus) grow uncontrollably. Most cases of CRC begin as noncancerous growths called polyps, which can become cancerous over time – usually over several years.

CRC is the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and the second leading cause of cancer death in women who are under 50, and there is clear evidence that it is a disease that is affecting people at an increasingly young age (i.e., early-onset CRC). More than 130,000 Americans are diagnosed with CRC every year, with nearly 50,000 of them losing their life to the disease.

Despite these disconcerting statistics, some 30 percent of the adults in the US who are 45 or older are still not getting screened for CRC. The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) is consequently appealing to every average-risk patient who is 45 or older to discuss getting screened for CRC with their primary care physician or gastroenterologist – knowing that CRC has a 90 percent survival rate when it is detected early enough.

ASGE is also encouraging people who have an abnormal CRC test result to get a completion colonoscopy in less than 10 months given the higher risk of CRC and advanced stage disease.