Never Too Young
Introduction
Rates of colorectal cancer are rising sharply among young and middle-aged individuals, while rates continue to decline in adults aged 55 and over. Young people are often diagnosed at a later stage because they aren’t getting screened and doctors don’t necessarily suspect cancer to develop at a young age.
The mission of Colorectal Cancer Canada’s (CCC) Never Too Young Program (N2Y) is to raise awareness and enhance patient support around early age onset colorectal cancer (EAO CRC) in Canada in order to decrease the number of young people diagnosed with advanced stage disease. N2Y is committed to spreading the message that young adults need to be screened earlier than age 50 if they have a family history of the disease or an associated hereditary syndrome.
N2Y envisions a future where no young person in Canada dies of colorectal cancer due to a lack of awareness, misinformation, testing delays or stigma. Young Canadians and healthcare providers will have the appropriate information to continue the fight against colorectal cancer with confidence and resilience.
