Yet women are not being screened at the same rates as men. The Benefits of Screening All these deaths do not have to happen to either men or women. Risk factors have been identified. Technology has advanced and screening procedures have been developed. Better yet, we have found that if adenomatous polyps, the precursor lesions of CRC, are found and removed at screening, CRC will be prevented entirely.
Strong efforts are now underway to encourage the habit of screening.
The precursor lesion of CRC, the adenomatous polyp, is a benign growth, which is found in increasing numbers as people pass age 40. The cancer rate begins to rise after age 50. Not all of these polyps will develop into cancers. Some factors will increase risk for polyp and cancer development. First of all, polyps increase in frequency with age, hence the new guidelines published by the American Cancer Society to start screening at age 50.