Colon Cancer Awareness Event Wednesday In Brick

How do you know if you have colon cancer? What are the signs and symptoms? What are the treatment options?

Hackensack Meridian Health is hosting a Colon Cancer Awareness event on Wednesday at the Brick Township Civic Plaza, Chambersbridge Road, from 3-6 p.m. The event is free.

A lecture will be given by Dr. Thomas Lake III and registered dietitian Debbie Whelan. There will also be wellness screenings available for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and stroke risk, along with a free take-home colon cancer screening kit. To register, please call 1-800-560-9990.

Colorectal cancer is the third most-common type of cancer in men and women in the United States. Deaths from colorectal cancer have decreased with the use of colonoscopies and fecal occult blood tests, which check for blood in the stool.

More than 49,000 people died of colon cancer in 2016, according to the National Cancer Institute. About 4.4 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with colon and rectum cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2011-2013 data. In 2013, there were an estimated 1,177,556 people living with colon and rectum cancer in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

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