March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and the American Cancer Society wants to encourage everyone 50 and older to go get tested for colon cancer!
Colon Cancer is the third most common type of cancer diagnosed in men and women, but it is also one of only two types that can actually be prevented through screening.
When screened, if the doctor finds a polyp (a growth on the inside of the colon) it can be removed before the growth ever even becomes cancerous.
Knowledge of screening has increased, and overall colon cancer rates have decreased with both men and women over the past two decades. This decrease is due in part to early detection and removal of precancerous polyps.
Although the number of individuals diagnosed with colon cancer has decreased, approximately only half of the
Regularly scheduled colon cancer screenings can help save lives and help achieve the American Cancer Society's goal of creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays.
The American Cancer Society Recommends the following tests to find early detection of colon cancer:
Tests That Detect Adenomatous Polyps and Cancer
Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
Colonoscopy every 10 years
Double contrast barium enema (DCBE) every 5 years, or
CT colonography (CTC) every 5 years
Tests That Primarily Detect Cancer
Annual guaiac-based fecal occult blood test
Annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) Stool DNA test (sDNA)
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