March Is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

For the past 15 years, the U.S. has dedicated the month of March to raising awareness and educating the public about colorectal (colon) cancer. Colon cancer is one of the few cancers that is both highly preventable and highly treatable – when discovered early.

A great number of fatalities from the disease could be prevented through screening, but sadly, many individuals continue to put off receiving a colonoscopy, putting themselves at risk.

In honor of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the Center for Colonoscopy Excellence, a division of San Francisco Gastroenterology, pledges to raise awareness and encourage those men and or women in need of screening to schedule a colonoscopy today.

Colorectal cancer usually develops first as colon polyps, or abnormal growths. These polyps are detected and removed by a doctor during a routine colonoscopy. It is not possible to tell without further testing whether polyps are benign, pre-cancerous or cancerous, so polyps are tested after their removal. Although there are symptoms of colon cancer, the presence of colon polyps is not normally detected except during a screening.

Colon cancer affects men and women of all ethnicities, but it is estimated that if everyone age 50 and older received regular colonoscopies, as many as 80% of deaths could be prevented. This is a dramatic statistic that demonstrates just how effective and worthwhile screening for colon cancer is. Almost 50,000 fatalities from colon cancer are predicted for 2015, the majority of which will begin to occur in persons 50 or older, the age range in which doctors recommend a person start to have colonoscopy screenings.

Whether your family has a history of colon cancer or not, you should plan on receiving a colonoscopy in 2015. The doctors at the Center for Colonoscopy Excellence have designed their colonoscopy procedure for your comfort – you will not experience pain, preparation will be simple, and recovery is minimal, with most patients reporting that they wake up feeling refreshed and able to return to normal activities the following day. Should you have additional questions about our colonoscopy procedure, we encourage you to visit our colonoscopy FAQs.