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Home News ‘Don’t Sit on It! Get Screened!’ Aims to Promote Colon Cancer Awareness

‘Don’t Sit on It! Get Screened!’ Aims to Promote Colon Cancer Awareness

Published: Monday, March 5, 2007

Make time during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March to schedule a screening if you are over the age of 50. If you have a family history of colon cancer, you may need to be screened earlier than the age of 50 and more frequently, depending on your physician’s recommendation.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths. A fact that you may not have heard is that colorectal cancer is preventable. Getting screened for colon cancer is the most important measure that you can take.

The Cancer Institute is committed to increasing colon cancer awareness and spreading the word about the importance of screening. This year’s slogan, “Don’t sit on it! Get Screened!” is expected to encourage all eligible persons to take action and follow the screening guidelines. Research has shown that with early detection and intervention, colon cancer is 90 percent curable.

There are a number of risk factors associated with colorectal cancer. Some factors we can control and others we cannot. Risk factors that you can control include the following.

• Excess consumption of animal fat in your diet, especially from red meat
• Not enough fiber in your diet
• Lack of regular physical activity

The following is a list of risk factors that you cannot control.

• Age (more than 90 percent of cases occur in people who are 50 years of age or older)
• Having inflammatory bowel disease (like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)
• Personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps

There are a number of screening methods your doctor may recommend for colorectal cancer—from the simple fecal occult blood test (FOBT) to the “gold standard," colonoscopy.

• FOBT checks three successive stool samples for hidden blood (blood not detected with the naked eye).
• Sigmoidoscopy uses a flexible lighted tube to examine the rectum and the lower part of the colon.
• Colonoscopy is similar to sigmoidoscopy, except that a colonoscopy gives an overview of the entire colon. Abnormal growths (or polyps) also can be removed during this procedure. The polyps are then tested to see whether or not they are cancerous.

Click here to find out more about Screening Services.

So what can you do?

• Increase your awareness of colon cancer and get screened.
• Share the importance of screening with friends and family.
• Change your controllable risk factors, by decreasing animal fat from your diet, eating more fiber and exercising at least five days a week for 20 to 30 minutes.

You can help prevent this very curable cancer. For more information or to schedule a screening test for colon cancer, call University Gastroenterology PC at 865.544.6570 or The Office of Dr. Thomas Young at 865.544.9595.

Click here for colorectal cancer forms and evaluations. 

Click here for more information on the Cancer Institute or Gastroenterology Services.

 

 

References
National Cancer Institute
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention