Are you age 50 or older and have you talked about colorectal cancer screening with your doctor?

Colorectal cancer screening.
Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. Older men and women are more likely to get colorectal cancer than those who are younger. Colorectal cancer is second only to lung cancer as a leading cause of death from cancer. Finding the cancer sooner helps the chance of successful treatment. More than half of Americans age 50 and over do nothing to find it early. Your risk for colorectal cancer is higher if you have family members with this or any type of cancer or polyps.

What can you do?
Have early screening and testing. There are tests to check for blood in bowel movements which can be a sign of cancer. Let your doctor know about any polyps you have had or if you have family members who have had colorectal cancer, breast cancer, or cancer of the ovaries or uterus. Also, there are procedures where the doctor can look at the inside of the large intestine (colon) and rectum. Your doctor will let you know which test to use and how often you should be tested.

For more information, visit the web site:
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/basic_info/screening/guidelines.htm