What is your risk of getting colorectal cancer?

An average person has a 5% lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer. That is a relatively high risk.

When detected early, the chances of survival are high. Unfortunately, only 14% of patients are detected at an early stage, because the symptoms appear late, and since they are often vague (weight loss, abdominal pain, tiredness, a little blood in your stool) they can be attributed to other diseases. Once the symptoms become noticeable, the cancer is probably already in an advanced stage, resulting in a reduced chance of survival.

It is therefore critical to check your health status before symptoms appear.

Question Title

* 1. Are you older than 50?

Question Title

* 2. Have you ever smoked?

Question Title

* 3. Do you have less than one hour of physical activity per day?

Question Title

* 4. Do you eat a lot of red meat (beef, pork, lamb) or processed meat?

Question Title

* 5. Do you regularly drink alcohol (more than 2 drinks a day)

Question Title

* 6. Are you obese? Do you have a large waistline?

Question Title

* 7. Do you have type 2 diabetes?

Question Title

* 8. Do you have a family history of colorectal cancer (grandparent, parent, brother, sister)?

Question Title

* 9. A personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)

Question Title

* 10. Have you ever been exposed to abdominal radiation?

Question Title

* 11. Is there a family history of breast cancer and ovarian cancer?

If you answered yes on at least onequestion from1 to 7, we recommend to discuss this with your GP and ask for a colorectal cancer screening test.

If you answered yes on at least onequestion from 8 to 11, we recommend to discuss this with your GP and ask for a colonoscopy.

Your risk profile increases with the number of times that you answered ‘yes’ on any of the questions above. Don’t take risks. Get screened.

Recognising some symptoms

1.     Have you noticed blood in your stool recently?
2.     Have you noticed a disruption of your bowel habits that lasts for more than a few days?
3.     Have you had pain, bloating, or cramping in your abdomen?
4.     Have you had weight loss, or tiredness and weakness that you cannot explain?

If you have on of those symptoms, we recommend to discuss this with your GP and ask for a colorectal cancer screening test.