March is ‘Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month’
March 14th, 2009
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by CK Dillon · Filed Under: Black Health · GBG · GBG Vitality · Health and Wellness · Liquid Vitamins · Supplements
Colorectal Cancer, colon cancer for short, the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S., originates in the large intestine or rectum.
Early stage cancer can often be cured and regular testing should begin after the age of 50.
Check out the article at http://cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/basic_info
There you will find Colorectal Cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States.
Colorectal Cancer:
- affects men and women in all racial and ethnic
groups - is most often found in people aged 50 years or
older - is the third most common cancer after prostate
and lung cancers in men - is the third most common cancer after breast and
lung cancers in women
It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way
If all men and women aged 50 or older had regular Colorectal Cancer screening tests, as many as 60% of deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented.
What Is Colorectal Cancer Screening?
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), screening is when a test is used to look for a disease before there are any symptoms.
Cancer screening tests, including those for colorectal cancer, are effective when they can detect disease early.
Detecting disease early can lead to more effective treatment.
In some cases, screening tests can detect abnormalities such as polyps, (extra tissue that grows inside the large intestine and can potentially become cancerous) before they have a chance to turn into cancer. So removing polyps prevents colorectal cancer from developing.
I have had three Colonoscopy tests in the last 7 years. In my first test 3 non-cancerous polyps were found so I had to schedule another test within three years; in my second test 3 non-cancerous polyps were found again, thus another three year scheduled test.
In my last exam six months ago no polyps were found. I had actually resigned myself to the fact that 3 polyps were going to be there, lurking.
Hooray! Now I have five years before I have to schedule another test. It is well worth the effort in my opinion to be consistently tested.
Free or Low-Cost Colon Cancer Screening is Available
According to the CDC, if you live in one of the following locations…
Suffolk County, New York: Call (631) 444-7644
Baltimore, Maryland: Call (410) 767-1617 or 1 (866) 632-6566
King, Clallam, and Jefferson counties, Washington: Call 1 (800) 756-5437
Nebraska: Call 1 (800) 532-2227 or 1 (800) 833-7352 (TDD)
St. Louis, Missouri: Call (314) 879-6392
… you may be eligible for free or low-cost colorectal cancer screening through the CDC-funded screening demonstration program. To learn more contact the numbers above.
If you live elsewhere in the United States, please call 1 (800) 4-CANCER or 1 (800) ACS-2345 to learn more about screening options in your community. You may also be able to find information about free or low-cost screening by calling your local department of health.
If you have Medicare coverage, various tests may be covered. Go to http://medicare.gov/health/coloncancer.asp.
Hope this information helps. If it does pass it on to someone you care about who could use it.
Till Next Time, To Your Good Health and Success … Live Well,
CK Dillon
http://LiquidVitaminsOnline.Net
