New CDC Vital Signs: Colorectal cancer testing needs to increase among adults

New CDC Vital Signs: Colorectal cancer testing needs to increase among adults

New CDC Vital Signs: Colorectal cancer testing needs to increase among adults

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent this bulletin at 11/05/2013 03:07 PM EST

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Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer among men and women in the United States, after lung cancer. About 1 in 3 adults is not getting screened for colorectal cancer as recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), according to a new Vital Signs report: Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests Save Lives, released today.
Colorectal cancer screening saves lives, but only if people get tested. Adults aged 50 to 75 should get tested with one or a combination of these screening tests:

• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) done at home every year,
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy, done every five years, with FOBT/FIT done every three years,
• Colonoscopy done every 10 years.

To learn more about how you can help prevent colorectal cancer, visit: www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/colorectalcancerscreening