Physicians on Cape Cod are marking March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, by noting a rise in case numbers.
What concerns medical professionals is that the cases are increasing in a younger demographic.
Dr. Aaron Dickstein, a gastroenterologist with Cape Cod Healthcare says estimates show those born in 1990 have a two to four times increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, as compared to those born 40 years previously.
Experts are uncertain about why the increase has come about, although the current studies show the obesity epidemic may be part of the problem.
Dickstein recommends people of average risk receive their first screening at age 45, and that home test kits are not an alternative to a colonoscopy.
(Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fight Colorectal Cancer)
Photo: Paul Morigi / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images