With March being Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Prevea Health and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital remind everyone 45 and older to receive regular screenings.
Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second leading cause of cancer death for women under the age of 50, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual cancer statistics report. These new statistics are of concern as two decades ago colon cancer was the fourth leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.
Dr. Mohamed Azab, Prevea gastroenterologist, said by detecting potential precancerous polyps through a colonoscopy, doctors and patients have a better chance of preventing and treating the disease before it spreads or grows.
“When precancerous polyps are discovered early during a screening, our team can utilize minimally invasive procedures and other approaches to remove the cancer,” said Azab. “It’s important for people to know that this disease is preventable, especially if the polyps are removed prior to them fully developing into cancer.”
While many will not have to schedule their first colonoscopy until the age of 45, Azab urges those with a higher risk of developing the disease, or those with a family history of colorectal cancer, to talk with their primary care physician about being screened earlier. For those who receive a colonoscopy with clean results, most will not to have to schedule another screening for several years.
“It’s estimated that up to one-third of the people diagnosed with colon cancer, before the age of 50, have a family history of the disease,” said Azab. “For this reason, I encourage those with family history of colon cancer to talk to their primary care provider about scheduling a colonoscopy even earlier.”
For information about colonoscopies and what a patient should expect from the procedure, visit www.prevea.com/colonoscopy.
Doctors urge those 45 and older to get regular colon cancer screenings
