A representative for Alley confirmed to CNN via email on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to her death.
Colorectal cancer, which includes colon and rectal cancers, is the second most common cause of death from cancer in 2022, outranked only by lung and bronchus cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program.
Regular checkups are the best way to keep colon cancer at bay, according to the US Preventive Services Task Force.
DNA stool test: A DNA stool test is another option, the society said.
“You didn’t put the scope in yet, did you?” asked Couric, whose husband, Jay Monahan, had died from colon cancer at age 42 in 1998.