Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Friday, 01 March 2024 - Sunday, 31 March 2024
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is one of the official global annual health campaigns that sheds light on the importance of screening and leading a healthy lifestyle to prevent colorectal cancer.   

Official Month: March

Colorectal cancer is considered the third most common type of cancer in the world. Each year, it claims the lives of one million people, and two million more are diagnosed.

Key Focus Areas

  • Motivate healthy lifestyle choices, such as a well-balanced diet and exercise, and promote the significance of regular screening as key factors in preventing colorectal cancer.
  • Warn against the modifiable risk factors that are widely recognized as primary causative agents of colorectal cancer, including smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, and limited physical activity.
  • Encourage people to undergo regular screening after the age of 40 since 90% of cases can be treated upon early detection and diagnosis.

Top Facts

  • 1 in 24 individuals will develop colorectal cancer at some point in their lifetime.
  • Colorectal cancer often remains asymptomatic until advanced stages.
  • Asia records the highest number of cases annually.
  • Obesity is responsible for 23% of the cases diagnosed in 2012.
  • This type of cancer is one of the most common types in the UAE where 41% of diagnosed cases are among individuals under the age of 40.
  • The number of diagnosed cases is predicted to rise by 56% from 2020 to 2040, and global mortality rates are expected to increase by 69% annually.

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