Colorectal Cancer Canada is recommending provinces and territories should “commit to lowering the routine colorectal cancer screening age to 45 for average-risk Canadians.”
Thursday’s press release argues that lowering the screening age from 50 is “a change experts say is urgently needed to reflect rising rates of the disease among younger adults.”
An American Cancer Society research letter released in January also highlighted that colorectal cancer is now “the leading cause of cancer-related death among individuals under the age of 50 in the United States.”
This trend is mirrored in Canada with incidence rates steadily increasing among adults aged 45 to 49.
The Canadian Cancer Society reported in November that colorectal cancer was expected to be the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada in 2025, and the third leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women.
The report estimated that 26,400 people in Canada will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 9,100 patients would die of the disease, representing 10 per cent of all new cancer cases and deaths last year.
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Colorectal Cancer Canada reported that despite the rise in diagnoses, “all provincial screening programs still begin at age 50, leaving a growing at-risk population without access to routine, organized screening.”
Brandon Purcell, advocacy manager of prevention and early detection at the Canadian Cancer Society, said in an emailed statement to Global News that, “a lower screening age for colorectal cancer will catch more cancers early when they are easier to treat and the likelihood of survival is much higher.”
Dr. Harminder Singh, a gastrologist in Manitoba, said the barriers that come with getting screened “can’t just be ignored.”
“The trend is increasing in all younger age groups, the rates are lower than older individuals, but it needs attention and increased awareness — both go hand in hand,” he said.
Singh also noted those with a family history of colorectal cancer “need more attention.”
“Those with a family tree of cancer syndromes, the detection rate continues to be suboptimal, and you would at least be making people aware who may be at risk of these familial syndromes,” he said.
On Thursday afternoon, Health Minister Majorie Michel announced that the federal government would be investing $41 million in “19 new cancer research teams meant to study new approaches to preventing a wide range of cancers, including lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.”
Part of this work includes “collaborating with researchers from Japan to better understand the links between aging and early-onset colorectal and pancreatic cancers,” the press release says.
At the end of the day, Singh believes that all of this comes back to the importance of raising awareness of cancer screenings.
“Raising awareness is an individual choice, there needs to be discussion around decision-making,” he said. “Making people aware of potential benefits and any risks, even if they are small, the bottom line is people need to be aware of options available.”
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