Mayo Clinic Cancer Blog – Colon cancer can occur in any part of the colon. An examination of your entire colon using a long, flexible tube equipped with a camera (colonoscopy) is one way to detect colon cancer and polyps. It can be easy to feel confused by screening recommendations for common types of cancer. Test your knowledge of why, when and how you can be screened with these myths and facts:

Colorectal cancer is rare.

Myth. Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in men and women combined. Roughly 1 in 25 women will have colorectal cancer, and about 1 in 23 men will have colorectal cancer. To put that in perspective, when watching a football game, of all the players on the field, about one player would be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime.

Colorectal cancer can happen when you are young.

Fact. The rate of colorectal cancer is increasing in people under 50. Rates of colorectal cancer in people under 50 have doubled since 1990. In people over 65, the diagnosis rates have been decreasing, most likely because of colorectal cancer screening.

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