Well+BeingColon cancer screening at age 45 may be too lateMarch 20, 2026 | 8:34 PM GMTYou’ve probably heard that colorectal cancer rates are rising in young people, which is why 45 is the new age to start screening instead of 50. But are there cases when you should start sooner? For some people, the answer is yes, says Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and The Washington Post’s Ask a Doctor columnist. Here’s how to know if that means you.
