Besides skin cancer, colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer for both men and women in the U.S. and is a leading cause of cancer death. For certain groups, these numbers are even more staggering — it is the second leading cause of cancer death among Latino men. Meanwhile, African Americans are the least likely to be diagnosed early and have the highest mortality rate from colon cancer of all racial groups in the U.S.
While you may be one of the millions of Americans who choose to wait until they are sick to visit a doctor (or avoid going at all), there are countless reasons why you should make regular checkups a habit.
If the reason you’ve not visited a doctor is because you feel healthy, it’s still important to visit your doctor before feeling unwell. Like many other forms of cancer, colon cancer usually has no symptoms in its early stage. The good news is, when caught early, there’s a 90% survival rate.
Unfortunately, one in three adults in the U.S. is not getting screened. If you are among those who have not yet been screened, talk to your doctor about what tests may be right for you. This is especially true if you are age 45 or older or have one of these risk factors:
- Ethnicity: People who are of Ashkenazi Jewish, African American, Alaska Native or American Indian descent have an increased risk.
- Personal or family history of any of the following: Inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, colon polyps, familial adenomatous polyposis or Lynch syndrome can increase your risk.
- Diet: Eating a lot of red and processed meats and few fruits and vegetables can increase your risk of colon cancer.
- Lifestyle: Obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and heavy alcohol use can increase your risk of colon cancer.
Of course, some people avoid seeing the doctor because they think screenings are unpleasant. If this is why you haven’t yet visited, understand that there are several ways to screen for colon cancer — one of which you can do in your very own home. Others are less invasive than a colonoscopy and can be done similar to an X-ray. Talk with your doctor about your options.
Before your visit, take a look at the following colon cancer tests, recommended by the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Colonoscopy: With this direct exam of the colon and rectum, your doctor can detect, biopsy and remove polyps — small growths that usually cause colon cancer.
- Fecal occult blood test/fecal immunochemical test (FIT): For this test, your doctor will give you an at-home kit, which you can perform by yourself.
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy: This fairly quick, safe test can be done at your primary care physician’s office and does not require sedation.
Because March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) will be at the YMCA Wellness event in Springfield on Saturday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to noon. The trained staff will be distributing FIT kits at no cost, along with educational materials to all eligible individuals between the ages of 45 and 75 with no family history of colorectal cancer, no personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, no previous polyps and no previous colorectal cancer.
Now that you know the importance of getting screened and what tests are available, it’s time to call your doctor and schedule a visit. He or she can help you decide how best to get screened. There’s no better time than now!
Visit this website for more information about colon cancer prevention and screening options.
Listen to my Health Minute video about colon cancer.
Dr. James Morgan is medical director for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
