March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. As we end the month, let’s continue raising awareness for this number one killer in Singapore. Did you know that colorectal cancer is one of the three leading cancers in Singapore, regardless of gender or ethnicity? Everyday, approximately 5 Singaporeans are diagnosed with colon cancer, and to date, we have more than 1,200 cases each year.
At first thought to be more prevalent amongst middle aged individuals, colon cancer is on a steady rise among young adults. About 1 in 10 cases these days are patients between the ages 20-50. As it is, we don’t know exactly what causes colorectal cancer, what more find an explanation for the rising trend among young adults.
While more research needs to be done, what we can do to reduce colorectal cancer rates is to undergo regular colorectal cancer screening and find out more about the condition, including its symptoms and risk factors.
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