Nearly 2,000 Coloradans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2019.

In Colorado, nearly 2,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. And while the overall death rate for colorectal cancer continues to drop, deaths from colorectal cancer in people younger than age 55 have increased 1% per year from 2007 and 2016. The good news? Colon cancer and rectal cancer can be prevented. Colorectal cancer screening can also detect cancer early — when it is most curable. As more people have taken advantage of routine colorectal cancer screening, incidence rates have decreased. Important screening tests, like a colonoscopy, allow doctors to remove colorectal polyps before they become cancerous.