Overview:
Public health expert Charles Rogers says just as Black parents have conversations with their children about interacting with law enforcement, we must have that same urgency around fighting colorectal cancer.
Growing up in rural North Carolina, where commercial chicken farms were a common sight, medical researcher Charles R. Rogers knew the basics about cancer and racial disparities. Black women, he knew, had to worry about breast cancer, while the concern for Black men was prostate cancer.
Then, at a family reunion in 2009, he noticed his aunt Joanne seemed thinner than the last time he’d seen her.
Nevertheless, “she was still dancing and having fun,” says Rogers, a behavioral scientist who specializes in racial disparities in cancer diagnosis and treatment. When Joanne went to the doctor, however, “she was misdiagnosed several times by two healthcare systems before being diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.”
The medical error hit Rogers hard: “If she had been diagnosed earlier — at Stage 0 or 1 —she would have had more than a 90% chance of living. Because it was Stage 4, she had more than a 90% chance of dying.”
“That’s what got me into this space,” he says.
‘Preventable, Beatable, and Treatable’
Now, Rogers is sounding the alarm about the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer, which also claimed the life of actor Chadwick Boseman. In 2020, the HBCU graduate and star of the Marvel Comics blockbuster, “Black Panther,” died at age 43.
When I first started in this work as a Black male, I had a 52% higher chance of dying from colorectal cancer than a white man, and no one was doing anything about this problem.
Charles R. Rogers, Cancer researcher
Boseman’s death spurred Rogers to create the Colorectal Cancer Equity Foundation, a nonprofit working to remove barriers to colorectal cancer prevention and screening, particularly among Black Americans. He is also spreading the word about a disease that’s “preventable, beatable and treatable” if caught early.
“As of 2026, colorectal cancer is the leading cancer killer among all men and women under age 50. That is unacceptable,” he says. “When I first started in this work as a Black male, I had a 52% higher chance of dying from colorectal cancer than a white man, and no one was doing anything about this problem.”
Furthermore, “Black people not only had higher chances of being diagnosed, but were also diagnosed at earlier ages,” he said.
Rogers spoke with Word In Black during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March. He discussed why colorectal cancer is on the rise, what keeps Black people from getting screened, and why awareness has not kept pace with the increased occurrence of the disease.
The comments below have been edited for clarity and length.
How does what you do differ from a medical doctor or a clinician?
My background originally was in math and statistics. Then a mentor told me: ‘You’re too good with people. It would be a travesty for you to sit behind a computer your whole life. You belong in public health.’
As a behavioral scientist, I look at what makes people go to the doctor in the first place. I particularly study behavior, like how masculinity keeps men from seeking care.
Say more about that. What prevents many Black men from getting screened?
“Masculinity” is huge in the culture, which I define in several ways: the importance of providing for the family, fearing exams below the waist, concern about their sexuality being disrespected, and medical mistrust.
There has been so much done historically to Black communities that people simply don’t trust the healthcare system. Until we address that history, nothing will change.
What concerns do men raise about screening?
I’ve heard many responses from men, such as fear of colonoscopies, including distrust of doctors while being sedated, and distrust of stool tests. I’ve even heard phrases like ‘I’d rather die than do that test.’
In one focus group, a man said he didn’t trust the Cologuard box because he didn’t know what doctors would do with his stool sample.
Why did you create the Colorectal Cancer Equity Foundation?
I started the foundation in 2021 shortly after we lost brother Chadwick Boseman to early-onset colorectal cancer. Early-onset colorectal cancer is defined as colorectal cancer diagnosed among individuals younger than age 50.
People had asked me for years—I’ve been in this space for almost 20 years—when I was going to start a foundation. I would say, ‘I’ve got a son, I’m married, I have plenty to do.’ But I was really bothered by the loss of Chadwick at such a young age. Being a Black individual myself, it struck me to my core because I’ve been doing work among Black men for quite some time.
When I first started in this work as a Black male, I had a 52% higher chance of dying from colorectal cancer than a white man, and no one was doing anything about this problem. We also saw that Black people not only had higher chances of being diagnosed, but were also diagnosed at earlier ages.
So, the foundation gave me a platform to strategically remove barriers to care among inequities in colorectal cancer among Black men, as well as several under-resourced populations.
What is the most important fact to understand about colorectal cancer?
If you have a colon, you can get colon cancer.It doesn’t care if you’re rich, broke, Black, or white. Butmany people still think it’s an old white man’s disease. And colorectal cancer among younger people has been rising 2% to 3% every year since the mid-1990s.
Why are more younger adults developing colorectal cancer?
We’re still learning, but it’s likely a combination of lifestyle, environment, delayed screening, and a lack of awareness of the disease among younger adults.
We know factors like smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, and diets high in red meat or processed foods increase risk. Now, I grew up eating things like baloney sandwiches with Miracle Whip. But those foods do increase one’s risk over time.
But lifestyle isn’t the whole story. I’ve met marathon runners diagnosed with Stage 3 CRC.
My research also identified hot spot clusters where young men are dying of colorectal cancer at alarming rates—particularly in parts of Appalachia, Virginia, North Carolina, the Mississippi River region, and the Texas border areas.
Interestingly, Chadwick Boseman’s hometown in South Carolina sits within one of these clusters.
What symptoms should people watch for?
Symptoms include blood in stool, oddly shaped or pencil-thin stool, bloating, unexplained weight loss, or constipation lasting several days.
But people can have no symptoms at all. That’s why screening is critical.
Stool tests can be done yearly, while colonoscopies might only be needed every 5 to 10 years depending on findings. But a colonoscopy is considered the gold standard because doctors can find and remove polyps before they become cancerous.
Are there screening options people can do at home?
Yes. Some stool-based tests provide results within five minutes and don’t need to be mailed off. Our foundation provides some free of charge.
When should people have their first screening?
Most adults at average risk should start screening at age 45. But many experts believe that 45 may not be early enough so know your family’s history and act based on it.
What should patients do if they feel their doctor is not listening?
Patients should remember that you hire your doctor — you can fire them. I know someone diagnosed in her 30s who had to see 20 providers before anyone would give her a colonoscopy. That cost time, money, and likely allowed the cancer to progress.
Explain why family conversations about cancer are so important.
One of my colleagues says, ‘Family secrets kill generations.’
If my aunt hadn’t talked openly about her cancer, I myself might never have gotten screened at age 42. Yet, during my colonoscopy, they removed two polyps.
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We must normalize talking about cancer in our families.
Someone dies from colorectal cancer every nine minutes. Just like Black parents have conversations with their children about interacting with law enforcement, we must have that same urgency around colorectal cancer.
What final message should people remember?
First, screening is not just detection—it is prevention. Second, colorectal cancer is rising among younger adults, but awareness has not caught up.
And remember, life is like a gun. DNA loads the gun and lifestyle pulls the trigger. While family history matters, behaviors like smoking, obesity, and inactivity can pull the trigger.