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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.