S.21/E.20

Early colorectal cancer usually causes no symptoms, which means the only way to catch it at a truly curable stage—or even prevent it altogether—is through regular screening, especially colonoscopy. During a colonoscopy, doctors can not only find cancers earlier, when treatment is more effective and survival rates are much higher, but also remove precancerous polyps on the spot, stopping many cancers before they ever form. National guidelines now recommend that average‑risk adults begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45 and continue at regular intervals, using colonoscopy every 10 years or other approved tests, because this simple step has been shown to significantly lower both the incidence of colorectal cancer and deaths from the disease.