Colorectal cancer screening guidelines have changed

Winneshiek Medical Center surgeon Dr. Caroline Schwickerath

A surgeon at Winneshiek Medical Center says she supports new guidelines from the American Cancer Society that now call for colorectal cancer screenings beginning at age 45.
 
Dr. Caroline Schwickerath says, "Across the nation, colorectal cancer cases are increasing in younger patients.  With such effective screening tools available to detect and treat colorectal cancer, I fully support the American Cancer Society's recommendation to reduce the screening age to 45."
 
Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer for both men and women. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of these deaths could be prevented if everyone over the recommended age (now age 45) got screened for colorectal cancer. Because there are often no signs or symptoms, the best way to prevent colorectal cancer is to get screened. If left undiagnosed or undetected, colorectal cancer can spread throughout the body.