Actress Kirstie Alley, best known for her role as Rebecca Howe on the 1980s sitcom “Cheers,” died Monday at age 71. According to a representative for the actress quoted in People magazine, Alley died from colon cancer after a short battle with the disease.
The American Cancer Society says that excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the U.S. The organization estimates that in 2022, there will 106,180 new cases of colon cancer in the U.S. and 52,580 deaths from the disease. In spring 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered its recommended screening age for colorectal cancer (the combined term for colon cancer and rectal cancer) to 45 from 50.
We spoke with Chris Lieu, MD, associate director of clinical research at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, about Alley’s death and what people should know about detecting and preventing colorectal cancer.