Colorectal Cancer Canada (CCC) advocates to lower the age for colorectal cancer screening to 45 for Canadians at average risk Français
MONTREAL, June 17, 2025 /CNW/ - Colorectal Cancer Canada, through its Never Too Young (N2Y) initiative, is launching an advocacy campaign to lower the colorectal cancer screening age to 45 for average-risk Canadians and to raise awareness about the signs, symptoms, and risk reduction strategies—particularly targeting individuals under 50.
"Our objective is to ensure that young Canadians do not ignore the signs and symptoms just because of their age and that they are aware of their family medical history and risk level, as we call on our provincial and territorial health ministries to lower the screening age for colorectal cancer throughout the country to 45," said Mr. Barry D. Stein, President and CEO of Colorectal Cancer Canada.
Colorectal Cancer doesn't care how old you are
Colorectal cancer is often mistakenly viewed as "an old person's disease". The reality is that early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), which arises in individuals below the age of 50, is on the rise, while Canada is experiencing a decline in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in people aged 50 and over.
While most new cases still occur in those aged 50 and older, Canadians born after 1980 are 2 to 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 50 compared to earlier generations. Furthermore, younger adults tend to be diagnosed with CRC at more advanced stages, posing unique challenges for prognosis and treatment
Why should we lower the age to 45 years old?
In Canada, colorectal cancer screening for individuals at average-risk* is currently offered between the ages of 50 and 74 across all provinces and territories. However, with the growing incidence of EOCRC among younger adults, Colorectal Cancer Canada is calling upon all provinces and territories to immediately lower the screening age for colorectal cancer to 45, similarly to countries like the United States and Australia
An average-risk person is someone between 50 and 74 years old who has no symptoms and no personal or family history of colorectal cancer, certain polyps, genetic conditions like Lynch syndrome, or inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's or colitis.
In 2018, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its guidelines to include individuals aged 45–49, following evidence-based recommendations from the American Cancer Society. Similarly, in July 2024, the Australian government reduced the starting age for its National Bowel Cancer Screening Program from 50 to 45.
"Based on a 2023 microsimulation, initiating screening at age 45 resulted in a net 12,188 fewer CRC cases, and 5,261 fewer CRC deaths. We believe that by lowering the screening age, we can prevent many more cancers and ultimately save thousands of lives in Canada", Barry D. Stein concluded.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable, treatable and beatable cancers when it is caught in the early stages resulting in less invasive treatment, better outcomes, and lower treatment costs for health systems, patients, caregivers, and their loved ones.
About Colorectal Cancer Canada
Colorectal Cancer Canada (CCC) is Canada's national colorectal cancer patient led non-for-profit organization. Since 1998, it has been dedicated to colorectal cancer awareness and education, supporting patients and caregivers, and advocating on their behalf. CCC's mission is to reduce the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer in Canada and to improve the quality of life for patients, their families and caregivers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
6 hours ago
- Cision Canada
ESHRE 41st Annual Meeting: Older paternal age linked to higher miscarriage risk and lower live birth rates in donor egg IVF cycles
A new international study presented today at the 41 st Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) reveals that IVF cycles involving male partners over the age of 45 carry significantly increased miscarriage risks and lower live birth rates – even when young donor eggs are used. PARIS, June 29, 2025 /CNW/ -- By isolating paternal age from female reproductive factors through the exclusive use of donor eggs from young women, the study provides robust evidence that male age plays a critical role in reproductive success, challenging the common assumption that sperm age has little impact once fertilisation occurs. The retrospective study analysed 1,712 first oocyte donation cycles conducted between 2019 and 2023 across six IVF centres in Italy and Spain. All cycles used fresh donor oocytes and frozen sperm from male partners, with only the first single blastocyst transfer included. Female recipients had a mean age of 43.3 years. Participants were divided into two groups: men aged 45 or younger (n=1,066) and those over 45 (n=646). While fertilisation rates and embryo development were comparable between groups, significant differences emerged in clinical outcomes. Miscarriage rates were notably higher among couples where the male partner was over 45, reaching 23.8% compared to 16.3% in the younger paternal age group. Similarly, live birth rates were significantly lower in the older paternal age group, at 35.1% versus 41% for men aged 45 or younger. Discussing the findings, Dr. Maria Cristina Guglielmo, Embryologist at Eugin Italy, said, "Traditionally, maternal age has been the central focus in reproductive medicine, but our results show that the age of the male partner also plays a crucial and independent role. Even when using eggs from young, healthy donors and transferring only a single, high-quality embryo, we observed poorer outcomes in men over 45." She also emphasised the importance of examining how paternal age affects the health of offspring. "There is growing evidence linking advanced paternal age to an increased risk of neurodevelopment disorders in children. Our future work will investigate the long-term health and developmental outcomes of children conceived through donor egg cycles with older fathers, where maternal factors are minimised, to isolate paternal effects more clearly." The study abstract will be published today in Human Reproduction, one of the world's leading reproductive medicine journals.
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Health Canada issues warning over unauthorized ‘non-invasive' blood glucose monitors being sold online
Health Canada has issued an advisory warning Canadians about the risks of using unauthorized blood glucose monitors. The health agency specifically warns against monitors sold under a 'non-invasive' promise, stating that they have yet to approve devices that claim to measure blood glucose levels without puncturing the skin, the statement reads.
Winnipeg Free Press
17 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Black Canadians have highest avoidable hospitalization rates: StatCan data
TORONTO – New data from Statistics Canada shows Black Canadians have had the highest rates of avoidable hospitalizations in the country — something experts say underscores the need for more equitable health services for the Black community. A report released June 18 shows that over an eight-year period, Black Canadians were admitted to hospital for treatable health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension at higher rates than other racial groups and non-racialized people. In the most recent data collected in 2023/2024, Black men and boys were admitted at a rate of 272 hospitalizations per 100,000 people while Black women and girls saw a rate of 253 per 100,000 people. Other racialized people including South Asian, Chinese and Filipino Canadians had significantly lower rates. The lowest was among the Chinese population, in which men and boys had 65 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, and women and girls recorded 52 per 100,000 people. Non-racialized people had the second-highest rate of avoidable hospital admissions in 2023, reaching 257 per 100,000 among men and 226 per 100,000 among women, the report states. Notisha Massaquoi, an assistant professor of health education and promotion at the University of Toronto, says the data shines a light on the health equity crisis for Black Canadians who face significant barriers to primary care. '(This is) a population that has experienced an enormous amount of racism in the health-care system,' said Massaquoi, who studies access to health-care services for Black Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area. 'There's a lack of trust in terms of going to a primary health-care setting or going to see a primary health-care provider, and when a community has experienced a lot of marginalization in the health-care system, what they do is avoid going until it's too late.' Black Canadians might avoid seeking routine care because there is also a lack of Black health-care providers, said Massaquoi, noting better survival rates and health outcomes when a Black patient has a Black primary caregiver. StatCan data shows that in 2023, the most updated information available, 72 per cent of Black Canadians had access to a primary health care provider. That's compared to 84 per cent of non-racialized Canadians. The Canadian Medical Association says it doesn't keep track of the number of Black physicians in the country, but data published in 2020 by the Academic Medicine Journal — the peer-reviewed journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges — estimated that 2.3 per cent of practising physicians in Ontario were Black in 2018. StatCan's report doesn't provide the specific reasons for hospitalizations, but a member of the senior leadership team at Women's College Hospital in Toronto says Black populations are disproportionately affected by chronic illnesses. The reasons for that are complicated, said Dr. Cynthia Maxwell, a past-president of the Black Physicians Association of Ontario. Maxwell said chronic illnesses can sometimes be traced to hurdles navigating the health-care system. Some Black communities also have fewer grocery store options, making access to nutritious food difficult, or are in areas more exposed to environmental toxins, which can lead to higher rates of respiratory problems. Massaquoi and Maxwell both stressed the need for more Black health-care providers and Black-oriented clinics, saying many patients feel more comfortable visiting environments where there's less risk of racism. Such an increase could also help train other doctors on the specific needs of Black patients. 'We will likely never have enough Black health-care providers to provide access to all Black community members, so it is important for all allies in the health system to engage in and learn about cultural safety and competencies that will help drive better health-care outcomes,' Maxwell said. Maxwell linked less access to primary care to higher mortality rates of serious diseases, such as among Black women with breast and cervical cancer. 'We know Black women have less access to screening for conditions such as breast cancer and cervical cancer, which are major issues and have high morbidity and mortality in Black communities,' she said. 'A condition is identified typically in the primary care setting,' she said, noting that's where a patient is referred to a specialist for serious conditions. Maxwell said it was important to collect better race-based patient data in order to identify issues unique to each community. 'Without the … race-specific data, you can't really get to the nuances of what the particular issues are within a community and what it means for a community to be disproportionately affected, either by a health condition or by the outcome of treatment for a health condition,' Maxwell said. Massaquoi said Black health-care advocates have 'constantly' begged for better race-based data collection. 'What we want to see as members of the Black community are the interventions that are going to be developed and designed so we're no longer just getting this trauma type of data that keeps telling us over and over in every manner how badly we're doing.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2025.
