80% by 2018 PHOTO BY JACKSON SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the U.S. But it doesn't have to be. With routine screening, it can be detected at a stage when treatment is most likely to be successful. In some cases, precancerous polyps can be removed during a screening, preventing the disease before it starts. Dozens of organizations nationwide have joined together as part of a National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable initiative to eliminate colorectal cancer as a major public health problem. They hope to do this by reaching an important goal by 2018-have 80 percent of adults (age 50 and older) screened for colorectal cancer. Today, about 65 percent of adults have been screened.