Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Why Screening Can Prevent, Not Just Detect

The news

Every March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month draws attention to cancers of the colon and rectum. The central message is unusually hopeful for a cancer campaign: this is a cancer that screening can often prevent, not merely detect early.

Why people are talking about it

Colorectal cancer is common, but it is also one of the clearest examples of prevention working. Because of that, awareness campaigns focus heavily on encouraging people to get screened on schedule. A month dedicated to the topic gives people a reason to overcome the natural hesitation many feel about these tests and to talk with a healthcare professional about their options.

What this topic means

According to the National Cancer Institute, colorectal cancer often begins as a growth called a polyp inside the colon or rectum. NCI states plainly that finding and removing polyps can prevent colorectal cancer. This is what makes screening here so powerful: it does not only find cancer earlier — it can catch and remove the small growths that might one day have become cancer.

NCI provides evidence-based information on colorectal cancer prevention, screening, and treatment, and describes several screening tests used to detect colorectal cancer and polyps.

Screening and prevention

NCI directly supports both screening and prevention for colorectal cancer. On screening, NCI provides evidence-based guidance and describes screening tests that can detect both colorectal cancer and the polyps that may precede it. Because removing a polyp can stop cancer before it forms, NCI frames screening as a genuine prevention tool. Rather than list specific ages here, we point you to NCI's regularly reviewed screening page and to a healthcare professional, since the right test and timing depend on your age and risk.

On prevention, NCI maintains evidence-based prevention information for colorectal cancer and identifies obesity as a relevant risk factor. The encouraging bottom line from NCI: staying on schedule with recommended screening is one of the most concrete steps a person can take.

How to take part

• If you are due for colorectal screening, use March as your reminder to schedule it or ask which test suits you.
• Talk openly with family. Family history can change screening recommendations, so it is worth knowing yours.
• Help normalize the conversation — screening saves lives partly by overcoming embarrassment.

Questions to ask a healthcare team

• At what age should I begin colorectal cancer screening, and which test is right for me?
• Does my family history change when or how often I should be screened?
• What do I need to know about preparing for a screening test?
• Are there changes in my health I should report that could be relevant?