“There are so many things in life that we can’t control, but with colon cancer, we can.” Best Actress Oscar winner Meryl? Streep said this while attending a national colorectal cancer screening event in the United States. Her argument may not be entirely correct, but screening does have great value in preventing colorectal cancer. Compared to other tumors, colorectal cancer has more opportunities for secondary prevention through early resection and screening. Currently, globally, colorectal cancer ranks third and fourth (compared to other tumors) in terms of incidence and mortality. And in our country, this ranking may be even higher. Most colorectal adenomas take many years to develop into tumors, while adenomas, the precancerous lesions of colorectal cancer, are easily detected and removed by screening. Thus, this disease is easily prevented by screening and early removal. Among other things, fecal occult blood tests, sigmoidoscopy and fiberoptic colonoscopy have become standard screening tools. But colorectal cancer screening rates in most of the world – even in developed countries – are surprisingly low. Instead, both incidence and mortality rates are on the rise. This trend is due to three factors: 1) westernized lifestyles: high-fat diets, lack of exercise, etc.; 2) lack of willingness to participate in oncology screening; and 3) relatively poor health care resources. There are many barriers that affect the popularization of colorectal cancer screening. For example, in China’s traditional concept, people generally believe that primary and secondary prevention of tumors is not only unnecessary but also affects their health. This belief greatly affects their motivation to participate in tumor screening. Although the fecal occult blood test has a role in screening for bowel cancer, it is very limited. At this stage, the most effective screening method is still electronic colonoscopy. Here, without further ado, I’ll send you a message: one checkup for what could be half a lifetime of happiness.