‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ moviegoers wearing white in tribute to Chadwick Boseman

BOSTON – If your weekend plans include a trip to see “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, you may notice many theatergoers wearing white. It is a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, the star of the first film who died of colon cancer at age 43.

Dr. Kimmie Ng is director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber. She says dying from colon cancer in your 40s in not typical, but it is becoming more common, particularly in the Black community.

“Non-Hispanic Blacks are 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 40% more likely to die,” Dr. Ng said. “We do think most of this disparity is due to inequities and access to quality care.”

It is recommended you get screened for colon cancer starting at the age of 45. If you have a family history of the disease, or other risk factors, you may want to talk to your doctor about starting earlier.