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Editorial
Colorectal cancer second leading cause of death due to cancer
Friday, March 2, 2012
Colorectal cancer isn't something we want to think about, but it can make a difference in things we do care about, such as enjoying retirement and our grandchildren.
But let's think about it for a minute.
More people die each year from colorectal cancer -- 50,000 -- than Americans died in all the years of the Vietnam war. Someone dies from it every 9.3 minutes.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women, but colorectal cancer is the second.
More lives are lost each year to colorectal cancer than to breast cancer and AIDS combined.
But there is good news.
If everyone who is 50 years old or older were screened regularly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 60 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer could be avoided.
The risk of getting it increases with age. More than 90 percent of cases occur in people who are 50 years or older. Screening saves lives, but many people are not being screened according to national guidelines.
Colorectal cancer screening tests can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. Screening tests can also find colorectal cancer early, when treatment often leads to a cure.
What should we watch for?
Precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer don't always cause symptoms, especially at first. That's why having a screening test is so important.
Symptoms include blood in bowel movements, stomach pain, aches or cramps that do not go away. Unexplained weight loss. They might be caused by something other than cancer, but only your doctor can help you find out.
You should begin screening for colorectal cancer soon after turning 50, then continue it regularly.
People with inflammatory bowel disease, a personal or family history of colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer, or genetic syndromes like familial adenomatous polyposis or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer are at higher risk.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends screening for colorectal cancer for everyone until they turn 75, and some people older than that.
It also recommends a colonoscopy every 10 years, a stool test every year, a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years with high-sensitivity stool test every three years.
Many insurance plans and Medicare help pay for colorectal cancer screening; check with your plan or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for Medicare coverage.
No, it isn't fun thinking about getting screened for colorectal cancer, or the possibility it may discover a problem.
But it's so much better to know that we have done everything we can to spend more years with those we love.
Community Hospital in McCook is offering a free test kit to screen for colorectal cancer this month; call (308) 344-8550 for more information, or contact your own health care provider.
More information on National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is available at http://www.cdc.gov/features/colorectalawareness/