The goal of National Cancer Awareness Month is to encourage people to learn more about how to reduce their risk of colorectal cancer through regular screening and a healthy lifestyle.
Colorectal cancer strikes men and women with almost equal frequency.
In the year 2000, approximately 130,000 new cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed and 56,000 people died from the disease. The risk for developing colorectal cancer increases with age. All men and women aged 50 and over should be screened. Some people are at higher risk for colorectal cancer and should be screened earlier than age 50. There are five different colorectal cancer-screening procedures available.