March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and doctors want the public to know about the importance of screening.
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for men and women combined.
鈥淭he five-year survival rate for colorectal cancer is 90%, if it鈥檚 caught at an early stage, 90%. Obviously those are fantastic odds, and that鈥檚 what we want for our patients,鈥� said , a Kaiser Permanente gastroenterologist in South Baltimore County.
鈥淎nd if we detect colon cancer once it has spread to other parts of the body 鈥� that five year survival rate can drop to less than 15%,鈥� she said.
The American Cancer Society begin at 45 for people with average risk.
Someone considered average risk does not have a family history of colorectal cancer in a first-degree relative, no personal history of colon polyps or history of other gastrointestinal disorders, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn鈥檚 disease.
There鈥檚 a screening test that people at average risk for colon cancer can do at home.
Known as the it鈥檚 a method of screening that uses a person鈥檚 stool.
鈥淯sing this particular at-home testing method accomplishes two things. No. 1, we鈥檙e able to safely and effectively screen patients for colon cancer; we鈥檙e also able to keep them out of the medical centers at a time where some patients may be a little bit reluctant to come in,鈥� Sloane said.
Detailing ways the FIT differs from a colonoscopy, Sloane said it does not require going into a medical center, using laxative, undergoing sedation or taking a day off from work. You get the kit in the mail, put a sample into a tube and mail the kit back to a laboratory for testing.
FIT is approved by the American Cancer Society for all average-risk patients, 鈥淏ut again 鈥� the bottom line is to speak with your doctor, and talk with your doctor about what is the best screening option for you. The only wrong option is to do nothing,鈥� Sloane said.
