Happy National Colorectal Cancer Month! To help you in educating your patients about their specific risk factors, we’ve updated our colorectal cancer (CRC) patient pages:
Our patient education materials now emphasize the increased risk among Black Americans as well as the need to begin discussing CRC screening earlier than age 50. Please share these links with your patients, on your practice website, or on social media.
Here are the key talking points for your patients:
- Black individuals and American Indians/Native Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and more likely to die from colorectal cancer than White Americans.
- Colorectal cancer rates are highest in adults over age 50; however, since the 1990s, colorectal cancer rates have increased in individuals age 49 and younger.
- Begin talking with your primary care provider or gastroenterologist about CRC screening at age 45 to discuss screening options and insurance coverage.
- Patients are considered to be at elevated risk for colorectal cancer if they have a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, a hereditary polyposis syndrome, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Black individuals are also at elevated risk. Individuals in these groups should talk to their primary care provider or gastroenterologist about the appropriate age to begin colorectal cancer screening.
