{"id":7647,"date":"2026-03-10T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7647"},"modified":"2026-03-10T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:30:00","slug":"taking-steps-to-stop-a-common-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7647","title":{"rendered":"Taking steps to stop a common cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-03-10T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Screening more Veterans than ever for colon cancer<\/h2>\n<p>What is colon or colorectal cancer?<\/p>\n<p>In the last year, colon or colorectal cancer (CRC) has been identified as the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the U.S. for people under 50. CRC is one of the most common cancers in the United States, and each year VA diagnoses approximately 4,000 new cases. VA is committed to improving CRC outcomes for all Veterans by increasing screening and access to care.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Screening for CRC starts at age 45 for Veterans without any known risk factors and is one of the few cancers where regular screenings can prevent a cancer diagnosis. Veterans with a family history of CRC or other risk factors should talk to their provider about what screening is right for them.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How VA is bringing care to Veteran\u2019s homes<\/h2>\n<p>VA\u2019s National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program delivers more than 35,000 Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) kits each month to the homes of Veterans eligible for CRC screening.<\/p>\n<p>These tests increase VA\u2019s capacity to screen for CRC by providing convenient access to Veterans without requiring them to visit their VA provider. If the FIT is abnormal, a follow-up colonoscopy will be scheduled.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Innovation and high-quality colorectal cancer screening\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>While at-home screening offers an alternative to colonoscopy for CRC screening, providing high quality colonoscopies is also critical for Veterans who need the procedure. These are crucial to detect polyps early before they have a chance to become cancer or to detect cancer at an early stage when treatment is most effective.<\/p>\n<p>In combination with the recent deployment of <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/122055\/va-colonoscopies-ai-increase-polyp-detection\/\">artificial intelligence devices to improve precancerous polyp detection<\/a>, VA is taking every step to ensure that all Veterans undergoing colonoscopy within VA have access to the highest quality examinations.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Screening saves lives<\/h2>\n<p>While we\u2019re saving lives every day through CRC screening, VA is also a leader in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.va.gov\/CANCER\/lung-cancer-screening-month.html\" rel=\"noopener\">lung cancer screening<\/a> and providing comprehensive cancer care to Veterans no matter where they live in the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.va.gov\/oncology-services-and-tools.html\" rel=\"noopener\">through tele oncology services<\/a>. To learn more about colorectal cancer screening at VA, visit cancer.va.gov and talk to your VA provider.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/145494\/taking-steps-to-stop-a-common-cancer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colorectal cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancers among Veterans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Taking steps to stop a common cancer - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Colorectal cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancers among Veterans.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7647\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taking steps to stop a common cancer - 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