Did you know?

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis in both men and women in the United States. These cancers are sometimes referred to as colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where they start, though they are often grouped together because they share many features. The ACS estimates that more than 101,000 new cases of colon cancer and more than 44,000 cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in 2019. Men and women have similar lifetime risk factors for colorectal cancer. Men have about a one in 22 chance of developing colorectal cancer in their lifetimes, while women's risk is only slightly lower at one in 24. While the ACS notes that the death rates for colorectal cancer among both men and women have been dropping for several decades, the organization still estimates that colorectal cancer will still cause roughly 51,000 deaths in 2019. It's also important to note that death rates from colorectal cancer among people younger than 55 have increased by 1 percent per year from 2007 to 2016. That fact only highlights the need for people to follow ACS screening recommendations, which advise men and women at average risk for the disease to begin regular screenings at age 45.