The end of March is drawing near— and with it comes the end of Colon Cancer Awareness Month. However, we shouldn’t forget about colorectal cancer as we enter into April. Many patients think that they don’t need to be screened because they don’t have colon cancer symptoms; as we’ve discussed in a previous post, this simply isn’t the case. Everyone over the age of 40 should be screened regularly, and it doesn’t always have to be with a colonoscopy!
According to the CDC, “51,896 people died of colorectal cancer” in 2019. That was the second highest rate of all cancer fatalities, surpassed only by lung cancer. Considering that colorectal cancer can be detected and remedied in its early stages via screening, this figure is alarming. This March marks the twenty-first colorectal cancer awareness month; we invite you to spread the word, ask questions, and schedule your own screening if you are overdue.
Screening for colorectal cancer is the best way to detect and treat the disease earlier than it may have been caught otherwise. Colorectal cancer screening is used to look for the disease when a person is not showing any symptoms, but may fit the criteria of people who are prone to getting a particular disease, whether the factor is age, family history, or something else. We’ll take a look at the ins and outs of colorectal cancer screening, including who should get screened, the types of screening tests used, and what happens during your screening.
