March was National Colorectal Cancer Month. Throughout March, Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO) asked readers to share how many colorectal cancer screening tests their labs process annually.
The American Cancer Society’s Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026 report revealed an alarming increase in colorectal cancer prevalence among younger adults. It is the top cause of cancer mortality for adults under 50 in the U.S., and the fourth most diagnosed cancer for all Americans. Additionally, half of colorectal cancer patients under 50 were eligible for screening at the time of diagnosis. UCDavis Health says “When colorectal cancer is caught early, at a localized stage, over 90% of patients survive.”
40% of respondents were unsure of how many colorectal cancer screening tests their labs processes. Additional key findings:
- 28% of responding laboratorians reported that their labs process 100 or less colorectal cancer tests per year.
- 8% said 101-500 tests.
- 12% of responding labs said 501-1,000 tests are processed.
- 12% reported more than 5,000 tests being processed by their labs annually.
Thank you to everyone who responded to our poll!
