anyone with a colon can get colorectal cancer – a collective term that includes both colon cancer and rectal cancer. in the united states it’s the third most common serious cancer in men and women. it's estimated that over 24 000 men died from colorectal cancer in 2008 making it the third leading cause of cancer death in men after lung and prostate cancers. and new evidence suggests that men may benefit more than women from earlier colorectal cancer screening. overall only about 6% of men in the u. s. develop colorectal cancer but several factors increase your risk: age: men younger than 40 almost never develop colorectal cancer. over 90% of the cases are in men over 50. family history: if people in your immediate family or near relations had colorectal cancer at a young age you should be screened earlier. previous colorectal cancer: if you've had cancer removed already you're at higher risk to develop a new one. inflammatory bowel disease: if you have had a condition such as crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis for several years your risk of colorectal cancer goes up. other conditions that appear to raise the risk of colorectal cancer include: drinking more than two alcoholic drinks per day obesity smoking diabetes a high-fat diet with fat coming mostly from meat.
which men are at a risk for colorectal cancer?