MARCH IS NATIONAL COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

You may be seeing a lot of blue this month as thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates all over the country join together to spread awareness of colon cancer. This became a national initiative in 2000 and now promotes cancer awareness by wearing blue, holding fundraising and educational events, talking to friends and family about screening, and so much more.

There are currently more than 1 million colon cancer survivors in the United States. Here are some statistics you may not be aware of:*

• Colon cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related death in the US
• An average person’s risk is about 1 in 20, but this can vary based on individual risk factors
• If you have a parent, sibling, or child who has colon cancer, your risk is 2 to 3 times higher than the average
• 90% of new cases occur in people 50 or older

The hope of the national awareness month is to promote screening. With screening, colon cancer can often be found early enough for treatment to be effective. The screening may mean finding and removing polyps before they become cancer; and if cancer is present, early detection may mean a chance at a longer life. If you are aged 50 or older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend screening now. If there is a chance you are a higher than average risk for colorectal cancer, speak with your doctor about it now.

Additionally, the American Cancer Society believes that getting tested may help prevent colorectal cancer as having polyps found and removed keeps some people from ever developing the deadly disease.

The American Cancer Society recommends the following tests to find polyps and cancer:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
• Colonoscopy every 10 years
• Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years
• CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) every 5 years

Here are some simple questions to start the conversation with your doctor:

• What is my risk for colorectal cancer?
• When do you recommend that I start getting tested?
• What are the different types of screening tests? Which one do you recommend, and why?
• Are there any dangers or side effects of screening?
• What can I do to reduce my risk of colorectal cancer?

In part due to the efforts and increased awareness brought on by National Colon Cancer Awareness, the incidence of colon cancer in older adults has decreased by 30 percent in the last decade, coinciding with a tripling of the colonoscopy rate.

*Source: CDC, SCS (2)

Contributed by: The Physician Alliance, a physician organization representing more than 2,100 primary care and specialty physicians in southeast Michigan. http://thephysicianalliance.org/