I am your constituent and I am a relentless champion of hope for the colorectal cancer community. I wanted to provide some information about colorectal cancer and urge you to prioritize efforts to improve prevention and treatment for the second leading cause of cancer death of men and women combined.

In 2022, it is estimated that 151,030 will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 52,580 people will die from this disease.

Colorectal cancer can be prevented if caught early. And when caught early, colorectal cancer has a 90 percent five-year survival rate. Unlike many other cancers, we have multiple effective screening methods for detecting colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, there are still far too many Americans who go unscreened. Delays in screening that have occurred due to COVID-19 could cause an estimated 4,500 additional deaths from colorectal cancer, according to a conservative estimate from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Additionally, while the majority of colorectal cancer diagnoses occur in individuals over the age of 50, there has been a marked increase in diagnoses among the younger population. Individuals born in the 1990s have double the risk of colon cancer and quadruple the risk of rectal cancer as those born in the 1950s. By 2030, it is estimated that colorectal cancer will be the number one cancer killer for those ages 20-49.

Early-age onset patients are often diagnosed at a later stage than patients over age 50, when the disease is more challenging to treat. We must prioritize research into early-age onset colorectal cancer to develop a better understanding of the risk factors specific to this population and help doctors catch it or prevent it before it occurs. We also need more and better treatment options for those diagnosed at a late stage regardless of age.

I hope that you will be a relentless champion of hope for the colorectal cancer community. Lives are at stake. I plan to keep in touch and I encourage you to use me as a resource going forward. If you have any questions, please reach out to me or Molly McDonnell, the Director of Advocacy at Fight Colorectal Cancer at molly@fightcrc.org.