Diagnosis rates, as well as mortality rates, are increasing significantly among people under 55, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, underscoring the need for early colonoscopies in Brooklyn, NY.
The slow but steady mortality increase in patients between 20 and 54 is especially disturbing because these people are generally in good health, remarked cancer epidemiologist Rebecca Siegel. As cancer rates declined slightly among black people, researchers said they were also re-thinking obesity’s role as a risk factor, since obesity rates are about the same among both blacks and whites.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men and the third leading cause among women. However, if the disease is caught in its early stages, the survival rate is about 90 percent.
When to Get a Colonoscopy
All women over 55 and all men over 50 should have regular colonoscopies. People should seek out this procedure even earlier if they have a family history of colorectal cancer or if they have any symptoms like:- Bloody stools
- Change in bowel habits or consistency
- Weakness
- Chronic bloating or cramps