Your Guide to Colorectal Cancer Awareness and Prevention

Mount Sinai Health System: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States. Although this cancer is highly treatable and preventable, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed and more than 50,000 people die each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2021, the United States Preventative Task Force updated its guidelines and lowered the starting age of screening from 50 to 45.

More than 93 percent of colorectal cancer cases occur in people 45 years old or older. More than 75-90 percent of colorectal cancer cases can be avoided through early detection and removal of pre-cancerous polyps, and as many as 60 percent of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented if men and women over the age of 45 were screened routinely.

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