March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

By David A. Johnson MD, Medical Director, Signature Care

Friday, March 10th, 2006; Posted: 1:00 p.m.

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month - a time to remind everyone about this deadly but attackable cancer.

Deadly? Yes, colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in this country (lung cancer is number one). Each year about 146,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. Almost 60,000 people die from colorectal cancer in this country each year (fairly evenly split between men and women).

In Indiana, the rates of new colorectal cancer cases and of colorectal cancer deaths are both above the national averages. If not found until the final stages , the chance of being alive five years later is less than ten percent. So, indeed, this is a killer of the highest magnitude.

But is it attackable too? Absolutely! If the colorectal cancer is found in its early stages, the five -year survival rate is a staggering 90%! More good news is this cancer can be found early with screening. Everyone over the age of 50 should have colorectal screening done. If you have a family history of colorectal, breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer, you should talk to your doctor about getting this screening done sooner than age 50.

Besides family history, other factors can increase your chance of colorectal cancer:

• smoking
• obesity
• history of inflammatory bowel disease
• low fiber-high red meat diet

Talk to your doctor about the need for timely screening. Despite the high success rate of treatment with early detection, only about 40% of appropriate people get screened. This leaves around 41 million people not getting the appropriate screening .

See your doctor if you notice signs of potential bowel problems:

• blood in your stool
• persistent abdominal pain
• weight loss
• fatigue
• bowel changes

Even if you are feeling great, if you are appropriate for screening by virtue of age or risk factors, see your doctor. By being aware and taking charge of our health we maximize our chances for a healthy and active life.