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March- Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
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SCREENING SAVES LIVES Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States. The risk increases with age. Colorectal cancer occurs most often in people aged 50 years or older. Regular screening for colorectal cancer is recommended for all adults aged 50 to 75. This disease is highly
preventable, through screening. Screening tests can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into
cancer. Screening also finds colorectal cancer early, when treatment works best. Colorectal polyps and early stage cancers don’t always cause symptoms, especially at first. That is why getting screened regularly for colorectal cancer is so important. You may be at increased risk for colorectal cancer if: – you or a close relative have had colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer; – you have inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis; or – you have a genetic syndrome, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome). – you have been diagnosed with HPV-
Human Papilloma Virus (a cause of abnormal pap smears, genital warts and genital and anal cancer.) If any of these things is true for you, speak with your doctor about when to start
screening and how often you should be tested.
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Colon and rectal cancer screening is inexpensive and simple.
Stool testing - anyone over the age of 50 should do this simple test once a year. Ask your doctor for the test. Other Colon cancer testing includes colonoscopy Rectal examination - anyone over the age of 40. It is especially important if you have had any anal contact with HPV (Human Papilloma Virus- a cause of genital warts, anal warts, cervical, penile and rectal cancer.) Any medical provider can do this test in less than a minute.
Manda was audacious. She was bold. Her hair was bright red and so were her lips and nails. Manda had acquired HIV in her early twenties and was seen regularly by her doctor. But, for someone so brash, she was shy about showing the "hemorrhoids" that bothered her for more than a year. Each time she mentioned the hemorrhoids, her doctor asked to do a rectal exam. Each time Manda declined. Until the bleeding was hard to stop. Finally she let the doctor do a rectal exam and immediately the answer arrived- not hemorrhoids, but instead the problem was painless rectal cancer. Rectal cancer is painless. It is more common in people who have HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) that shows up as abnormal pap smears, genital warts, etc. It is more deadly in people with HIV.
Don't be shy. Ask your provider to do a rectal exam regularly and if you have HIV- annual exams are recommended.
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