- ♦ More than 600 New Mexicans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year. It is the 3rd most common cancer among both men and women.
- ♦ Almost 300 New Mexicans die each year from colorectal cancer. It is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and New Mexico, after lung cancer.
- ♦ Risk for developing colorectal cancer increases with age; more than 90% of cases are diagnosed in people age 50 or older.
- ♦ In New Mexico, colorectal cancer incidence is highest among non-Hispanic White men, but mortality rates are highest among African American men. American Indian women have both the lowest incidence and mortality rates in the state.
- ♦ Screening tests for colorectal cancer work two ways:
- 1- Finding polyps so they can be removed before turning into cancer; and
- 2- Finding colorectal cancer early, when it is highly treatable and often curable.
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