Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Get Screened!

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of death from cancer. Colorectal cancer affects people in all racial and ethnic groups and is most often found in people age 50 and older.

The good news? If everyone age 50 and older were screened regularly, 6 out of 10 deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented.

Tests that can find both colorectal polyps and cancer, consist of: Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, Colonoscopy, Double-Contrast Barium enema (DCBE), and CT Colonography (virtual colonoscopy). Tests that mainly find colorectal cancer are Guaiac-Based Fecal Occult Blood Test (gFOBT), Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) and the Stool DNA test,

The pros and cons of each screening test vary. Talk with your doctor to decide which is best for you.