You're listening to LifeKit from NPR.

Hey everybody, it's Mariel.

Today's episode is about something super important that a lot of us put off, getting screened

for colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer cases are on the rise among younger people, folks under 50, since the

mid-1990s cases in that group have increased by about 50%.

It's now considered one of the deadliest cancers in this age group.

That was Allison Aubrey.

She's a health correspondent at NPR.

And she says researchers are still trying to figure out the reason for this jump.

They're looking at factors like diet and antibiotic use.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 20,000 Americans under age 50

will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and more than 3,700 will die from it.

Now we're not telling you all this to scare you, but colorectal cancer screenings are something

to take seriously.

And they're effective, because colorectal cancer typically grows slowly over many years.

And most of the cancers start out as a growth called a polyp.

A polyp is basically a small clump of cells that form on the lining of the colon, so taking

a polyp out early may keep it from turning into cancer.

And even if you end up having colorectal cancer, it's treatable, especially when you catch

it early.

The cancer of the colon is considered highly treatable by the National Cancer Institute.

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