More young people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Here's what you need to know.
The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman is a reminder that the colon and rectal cancers are not going away. Colorectal cancer is still the third most common cancer in the United States, with over 104,610 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Men have a 1 in 23 risk of developing the disease, while women fare a bit better at 1 in 25. “Rates have been steadily decreasing over the past few decades, largely as a result of increased colonoscopies,” says Jerald D. Wishner, MD, director of the minimally invasive and colorectal surgery program at Northern Westchester Hospital.
Still, as many as half of Americans who should be getting colon cancer screenings, aren’t, which is why some 50,000 die from colorectal cancer each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read more >>