“One of the most powerful weapons in preventing colorectal cancer is regular colorectal cancer screening or testing,” writes the American Cancer Society (ACS) on its website. Since it takes 10 to 15 years for an abnormal cell to develop into colorectal cancer, regular screenings can help identify and remove abnormal cells before they ever cause a problem.
The ACS recommends that those at relatively low risk for developing colorectal cancer should begin having routine colonoscopies every ten years beginning at age 50. If you have a family history of the disease, or other risk factors that increase your risk of the disease, you may need to begin regular screenings earlier at more frequent intervals.
But preventing abnormal cells from growing altogether is ideal, and while the exact cause of colon cancer is unknown, there are things you can do to lower you risk of colorectal cancer.
