Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States.
An estimated 56,700 men and women will die from colorectal cancer this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - even though screening could find the abnormal growths, called polyps, that cause the disease. Polyps can be removed before they turn into cancer. The risk of colorectal cancer begins to increase after age 40 and rises sharply after 50. The CDC recommends regular screenings after age 50. Last week the CDC reported that just 20.6 percent of Americans 50 and older reported having had a simple fecal occult blood test in 1999, and 33.6 percent reported having had a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within the previous five years.