Of cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum) is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be. Screening can find precancerous polyps—abnormal growths in the colon or rectum—so they can be removed before turning into cancer.
A screening test is used to look for a disease when a person doesn’t have symptoms and also helps find colorectal cancer at an early stage when treatment often leads to a cure.
If you are 50 years old or older, get screened now because it is the key to preventing colorectal cancer.
See What Should I Know About Screening? at cdc.gov for more information.