Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. It is cancer that starts in the colon and can develop slowly.
"The term colorectal cancer describes all cases of cancer that start in the colon or rectum. The way I usually describe the anatomy to patients is that we eat food that passes through the esophagus, stomach, and onto a long and winding part of the digestive tract called the small intestines, before passing digested remaining portions to the colon and the rectum," said University of Minnesota Physicians Oncologist Emil Lou, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Medical School. "As a whole in the U.S., colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women with nearly 150,000 new cases each year."
Guidelines suggest starting colorectal cancer screenings at age 50. Lou says one exception to this rule is if you have had a close relative (e.g., parent, sibling) diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a relatively young age. “For example, if a parent were diagnosed at age 52, then it would be recommended that that person’s child start colorectal cancer screenings as much as 10 years before the age of the parent’s diagnosis. In this case, age 42,” said Lou. “Another exception would be, at any age, if you were to develop unusual symptoms, including abdominal cramps or bleeding in the stool, that—after medical evaluation—could not be explained by any other cause. In that case, colorectal cancer should be at least considered and screened for.”
There have been recent reports of an increased number of young adults (under 50 years old) being diagnosed with colorectal cancer which has led to debate on whether or not Americans should consider screening sooner than age 50.
Read more tips on Colorectal Cancer screenings, prevention and treatment from Dr. Lou here.