From Paul Goldfinger MD. Blogfinger.net
James Van Der Beek’s death spotlights rise in colorectal cancer among younger adults
NBC News (2/15, Sullivan) reports, “The recent death of the 48-year-old actor James Van Der Beek is again highlighting how colorectal cancer is increasingly killing younger people.” Since 1990, “cancer death rates in people younger than 50 have dropped by 44%.” However, “after increasing for decades, colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50.”
According to NBC, “federal cancer screening guidelines and the American Cancer Society recommend that people who have an average risk for colorectal cancer should begin screening at age 45 with a colonoscopy every 10 years, or a stool test every one to three years.”
