To Your Health: Colon cancer: Tests can save lives
Provided By The American Cancer Society March 13, 2013 10:20AM
Updated: April 14, 2013 6:19AM
Colon cancer is the third- leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States, but some colon cancer can be prevented with regular testing.
This month is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so there couldn’t be a better time to learn the facts about colon cancer and get tested. It could save your life.
If you are 50 or older, the American Cancer Society recommends that you talk to your doctor about getting tested, even if you have no symptoms of the disease. And if you have a parent, sibling, or child who has had colon cancer, you may need to start testing when you are younger.
If people got tested regularly when they should, half of all colon cancer deaths could be prevented.
When colon cancer is found early and treated, the survival rate is 90 percent.
Two different types of screening tests are available — those that find cancer and polyps and those that mainly find cancer and are less likely to find polyps. Polyps are small growths on the lining of the colon that could lead to cancer. Finding and removing polyps before they become cancerous can stop colon cancer before it starts. Talk to your doctor about which test is right for you. For more information, contact the American Cancer Society at (800) 227-2345 or cancer.org/colon.
