• Avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer.
• The following risk factors increase the risk of colorectal cancer:
  • Age
  • Family history of colorectal cancer
  • Personal history
  • Inherited risk
  • Alcohol
  • Cigarette smoking
  • Race
  • Obesity
• The following protective factors decrease the risk of colorectal cancer:
  • Physical activity
  • Aspirin
  • Combination hormone replacement therapy
  • Polyp removal
• It is not clear if the following affect the risk of colorectal cancer:
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) other than aspirin
  • Calcium
  • Diet
• The following factors do not affect the risk of colorectal cancer:
  • Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen only
  • Statins
• Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to prevent cancer.
• New ways to prevent colorectal cancer are being studied in clinical trials.

Screening is the process of looking for cancer or pre–cancer in people who have no symptoms of the disease. Regular colorectal cancer screening is one of the most powerful tools for preventing colorectal cancer.

From the time the first abnormal cells start to grow into polyps, it usually takes about 10 to 15 years for them to develop into colorectal Cancer  With regular screening, most polyps can be found and removed before they have the chance to turn into cancer. Screening can also find colorectal cancer early, when it’s small and easier to treat.

If you’re age 45 or older, you should start getting screened for colorectal cancer. Several types of tests can be used. Talk to your health care provider about which ones might be good options for you. No matter which test you choose, the most important thing is to get tested.

If you have a strong family history of colorectal polyps or cancer, talk with your doctor about your risk. You might benefit from genetic counseling to review your family medical tree to see how likely it is that you have a family cancer syndrome.