To commemorate Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Virginia’s two National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers are teaming up with the Virginia Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (VCCRT) to highlight new guidelines recommending that colorectal cancer screenings should begin at age 45 for most Virginians.
The goal of the University of Virginia Cancer Center and Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center is to boost the percentage of Virginians who are up to date on their colorectal cancer screenings from 70.8% to 80%.
Increasing screening is critical, as colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death in men and women, and an estimated 10.5% of new colorectal cancer cases occur in people younger than 50. Colorectal cancer diagnoses among Americans ages 40 to 49 increased by almost 15% from 2000-02 to 2014-16, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Based on those figures, the task force updated its colorectal cancer screening guideline recommendations in May 2021, lowering the age to begin screening to 45. Read More >