March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
If you’re a baby boomer, you’re 50 or older. And that means your body is getting older, no matter how you’d like to deny the fact! It also means it’s time to get screened for colorectal cancer.
Your doctor may prescribe a colonoscopy to check for polyps or cancer which may be inside the rectum and entire colon. There are other screening tests, too: High-Sensitivity FOBT (Stool Test) and Flexible Sigmoidoscopy. Ask your physician which is right for you.
The main point is that you should be tested.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. When cancer is found early and at the local stage, there’s a 90% 5-year survival rate. If polyps are found during a screening test, they can be removed before the cancer even has a chance to develop. That’s why screening at age 50 is so important. There aren’t usually any symptoms in the early stages of the cancer, so you shouldn’t rely on experiencing symptoms before being screened.
Check out our Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Community Resource Bulletin to learn more.
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