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Colorectal cancer: Should you bt <br />concerned? <br />If you're 50 or older, the answer is yes. <br />If you're 50 or older, you need to think about colorectal cancer. Most <br />colon or rectal cancers occur in men and women who are 50 or older. <br />But no • "` in your family has• <br />colorectalcancer? <br />Most people who get colorectal cancer have no family history of the <br />disease. And you can have colorectal cancer and not even know it. If you <br />have a parent, brother, sister, or child who has had colon or rectal cancer, <br />then testing is even more important for you. In fact, you may need to start <br />testing before you're 50. <br />You have the power to help stop colorectal cancer before it starts. <br />Colorectal cancer begins with a growth (called a polyp) that's not yet <br />cancer. Testing can help your health care provider tell whether there's <br />a problem, and some tests can find polyps before they become cancer. <br />Most people who have polyps removed never get colorectal cancer. If <br />colorectal cancer is found, you have a good chance of beating it with <br />treatment if it's found early (when it's small and has not spread). And <br />testing can help find it early. <br />We believe that preventing colorectal cancer (and notjust finding it early) <br />should be a major reason for getting tested. When polyps are found and <br />removed, it can keep some people from getting colorectal cancer. Tests <br />that have the best chance of finding both polyps and cancer should be your <br />first choice if these tests are available and you're willing to have them. <br />/—,3 <br />