Reader’s Digest – 9 Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors You Can Control—and 7 You Can’t

While colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, in many cases it is preventable—as long as you know how to reduce your risk.

Reader’s Digest Article Snippet

Family history and genetics account for about 15 percent of patients with colon cancer, according to Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, professor of surgery and chief of gastrointestinal research at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. For this reason, any individual who is diagnosed with colon cancer under age 50 should undergo a workup for the presence of these genetic mutations. “These tests are simple to perform and easily available by performing a blood test,” Dr. Bilchik explains. “If the gene is present, then closer surveillance is needed for family members.”

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