About Risks and Screening Goals
About Risk
- People who are 50 and older are at increased risk for colorectal cancer and need to get screened.
- Remember, colorectal cancer affects both men and women of all races and ethnicities.
- You are at an even higher risk if you have a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, especially pre-cancerous polyps called adenomas.
- You are also at higher risk if you have longstanding chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Patients at higher risk due to family history or IBD may need to start screening before age 50.
Goals of Screening
- The primary goal of screening is to prevent colorectal cancer by finding and removing polyps.
- The secondary goal of screening is to find cancer at an early stage before it spreads to other parts of the body.