I am an African-American male. My father survived colon cancer 3 years ago.
Colon cancer is the second most common cancer in the United States.
On average, it takes approximately 10 years for a polyp to become cancerous. Because of this, colon cancer is considered a very preventable disease. Unfortunately, many people still fail to undergo appropriate screening to prevent colon cancer. Guidelines have been developed by special groups to determine the most appropriate screening procedures. In general, everyone age 50 and older should have some type of screening for colon cancer.