Colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable if found early. Yet every 9 minutes, someone dies of colorectal cancer and more than 50,000 people will die of the disease this year.

In many cases, there are no noticeable symptoms. However, the known symptoms could include:

Your risk for colorectal cancer could be higher if you:

Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)

Yearly

Non-invasive take-home test to detect hidden blood in the stool. If blood is found, further testing is needed.

Fecal immunochemical test (FIT)

Yearly

Non-invasive take-home test that is slightly more effective than FOBT at detecting hidden blood in the stool. If blood is found, further testing is needed.

Flexible sigmoidoscopy

Every 5 years

A thin, flexible, 2-foot tube with a video camera that is inserted into the colon. It allows your doctor to view the inside of the rectum and a portion of the colon for any abnormalities.

Double-contrast barium enema

Every 5 years

Barium sulfate, a chalky substance, is used to produce more detailed x-rays of the colon. If any abnormalities are detected, further testing is needed.

Colonoscopy

Every 10 years

A longer version of the sigmoidoscope that produces images of the entire colon. If polyps are found during this procedure, they are usually removed and tested for cancer.