The American Cancer Society encourages providers to offer any screening options they have available, while providing access to other screening services since any method is preferable to no screening at all. ACS screening guidelines are evidence-based. It was the consensus of the ACS Colorectal Cancer Advisory Committee that currently there is not sufficient scientific evidence to support a recommendation for colonoscopy as the primary screening methodology for the early detection of colorectal cancer. The best opportunity to increase screening rates for colorectal cancer lies in providing the public and providers with a menu of screening options. Most cancers are named after the part of the body where the cancer first starts.
Colorectal cancer develops in the colon or rectum, which are both parts of the digestive tract.
Before a true cancer develops, there often are earlier changes in the lining of the colon or rectum. One type of change is a growth of tissue called a polyp. Removing the polyp early may prevent it from becoming cancer. These are cancers of the cells that line the inside of the colon and rectum. There are some other, more rare, types of tumors of the colon and rectum.