Since President Clinton officially made March National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, the colon cancer community, consisting of  thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates throughout the country, join together to spread colon cancer awareness by wearing blue, holding fund raising and educational events, talking to friends and family about screening, among other efforts.

The best prevention against colon cancer is early detection, and during National Colon Cancer Awareness Month the American Cancer Society and many other organizations highlight the need to do more to save lives from the nation’s second leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, by urging patients and their doctors to talk about the importance of colon cancer screenings.

This month and anytime possible to raise awareness about Colon Cancer and take action toward prevention including encouraging communities and families to get active together as exercise may help reduce the risk of Colon Cancer. You are also urged to talk to family, friends, and people in your community about the importance of getting screened starting at age 50. Ask doctors and nurses to talk to patients age 50 and older about the importance of getting screened.

A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published this month indicates that Someone born in 1990 would have twice the risk of colon cancer and four times the risk of rectal cancer at the same age had they been born in 1950, according to researchers at the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.

Because routine screening is generally not recommended for most people under 50, these cancers are often found in more advanced stages, too. Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence in the United States is declining rapidly overall but, curiously, is increasing among young adults. Age-specific and birth cohort patterns can provide etiologic clues, but have not been recently examined.