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The FDA recently approved a new colonoscopy prep tablet that may make it easier for patients as they prepare for this colorectal cancer screening procedure. Until now, patients had to drink a gallon of a bad-tasting liquid to clean out the colon before the test, allowing doctors to complete a thorough evaluation. If you know anybody who has prepared for a colonoscopy, they likely remember this drink very well. Unfortunately, about one-third of patients usually don't drink all of the liquid prep, which means doctors may not have the best view during the screening. 

You may know that colon polyps can lead to colon cancer, but you may not know what causes colon polyps. The answers may surprise you.

Colon polyps are small clumps of cells that can form on the lining of the lower intestine, or colon. Polyps can occur in several locations throughout your gastrointestinal tract, but they most commonly occur in your colon. Polyps can also develop in the last part of the colon, known as the rectum. Doctors often refer to conditions occurring in the colon and rectum together, using the term “colorectal.”

Did you know that the screening age for colorectal cancer was lowered to 45?

Based on recent research, the American Cancer Society (ACS) lowered the recommended age to begin colon cancer screening from 50 to 45. The five-year difference is important to note when it comes to managing your health care. The ACS predicts that in 2019 more than 23,000 Oregonians will receive a diagnosis of colon cancer. Learning more about the screening process is one step a patient can take in preventing and fighting this dreaded disease.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published in February that colorectal cancer in young adults has risen dramatically in generations born after 1950. Those currently between the ages of 18-27 have 2 times the risk of developing colon cancer and 4 times the risk of developing rectal cancer than people born in the 1950s were when they were between those ages.