Prevention and Early Detection Save Lives!!

We've been talking a lot lately about prevention and early detection being important keys to reducing your risk for cancers of any type, but this month we're backing up that talk with action! We are providing free colon cancer screening kits to anyone in Northwest Arkansas who asks for one, so come by to pick one up! In fact, be a true friend and get one for everyone you know. Sure, that sounds a little weird, if not downright awkward... handing out colon screening kits isn't something you usually do after a great session of Zumba with the girls or a couple of rounds of golf with the guys. But we're talking about a cancer that kills approximately 50,000 Americans each year. 

Here are a few myths from the American Cancer Society about colorectal cancer that might make it easier to consider a screening:

Myth: Colorectal cancer is a man's disease. 

Truth: Colorectal cancer is just as common among women as men. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, it is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the U.S. - number 3 on the lists for both men and women.

Myth: Colorectal cancer cannot be prevented.

Truth: In many cases colorectal cancer can be prevented. Colorectal cancer almost always starts with a small growth called a polyp. If the polyp is found early, doctors can remove it and stop colorectal cancer before it starts. These tests find polyps: double contrast barium enema, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy).

To help lower your chances of getting colorectal cancer:

• Get to and stay at a healthy weight.
• Be physically active.
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
• Eat a diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and less red or processed meat.

Myth: African Americans are not at risk for colorectal cancer.

Truth: African-American men and women are diagnosed with and die from colorectal cancer at higher rates than men and women of any other U.S. racial or ethnic group. The reason for this is not yet understood.

Myth: It's better not to get tested for colorectal cancer because it's deadly anyway.

Truth: Colorectal cancer is often highly treatable. If it is found and treated early (while it is small and before it has spread), the 5-year survival rate is about 90%. But because many people are not getting tested, only about 4 out of 10 are diagnosed at this early stage when treatment is most likely to be successful.

The screening kits we have available are easy to use, and did we mention they're FREE??

And just as a reminder, here's where we talk about signs and symptoms of colon cancer. No matter your age, if you are experiencing any of these please talk to your doctor and get screened. Younger people are often diagnosed in later stages of the disease just because their symptoms were mis-diagnosed. You owe it to yourself and the people who love you to do what you can to prevent cancer.