Colon cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. The American Cancer Society 2018 guideline for colorectal cancer screening recommends that average-risk adults aged 45 years and older undergo regular screening with either a high-sensitivity stool-based test or a structural (visual) exam, based on personal preferences and test availability.

The reason behind lowering the recommended age of those individuals at average risk from 50 to 45 is due to a rise of colorectal cancer in younger patients. The cancer society estimates that 97,000 new cases of colon cancer and 43,000 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed this year. Prevention through screening is the best approach to improve those numbers.

People who are in good health and with a life expectancy of more than 10 years should continue regular colorectal cancer screening through the age of 75.

As a part of the screening process, all positive results on non-colonoscopy screening tests should be followed up with timely colonoscopy.

Contact Dr. David Tenembaum to schedule an appointment with an experienced gastroenterologist in Queens, New York or visit him online at QueensGIdocs.com for more information on how to prevent colon cancer.