March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Are your patients up to date on screening?

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that there were 136,830 new diagnoses and 50,310 deaths associated with colorectal cancer in 2014. Incidence and death rates have decreased since the 1980s, which has been attributed to increased screening and colonoscopic removal of pre-cancerous polyps. Despite evidence for its e ectiveness, only half of the U.S. population over the age of 50 has undergone recommended screening.