[maureen_dass]

There has been a long discussion about screening for colorectal cancer in terms of, when exactly is the appropriate time to screen? Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer in both men and women, after prostate cancer and lung cancer in men and breast and lung cancers in women. It is recommended by the American Cancer Society that screening should begin at age 50 in both men and women. However should you have an increased risk, such as a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, a family history of polyps, colorectal cancer or any hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes (Familial adenomatous polyposis {FAP} or hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer {HNPCC}) then screening should be done at 40 years of age.

Maureen