Finding Solutions: Local hospitals bring awareness to colorectal cancer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - It’s something we need to get comfortable talking about, and now is the time to do it.
March is colorectal cancer awareness month, and our local hospitals are starting the conversation.
They’re finding solutions in how to help you prevent the disease.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. It’s something health officials say you should be talking about.
“I like to get people comfortable talking about their colon and to not be shy and stoic, and it’s important to have these conversations with our family ,” said Kathryn Spradlin, endoscopy nurse at Wellstar MCH Health.
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Spradling says there’s been an increase in colon cancer in younger adults. To help prevent the disease, the age to get screened has been lowered to 45.
“It is completely preventable, beatable and very treatable,” said Spradling. “We just have to see what’s in there.”
And while you want your colon to have healthy tissue, that’s not always the case.
Polyps are small growths on the lining of the colon that can be harmless or potentially cancerous. A screening would detect this.
“That’s what a screening test is all about,” said Dr. Swadha Guru, colorectal surgeon at Wellstar MCG Health. “It’s something you do even before the disease develops, and the importance is to prevent, or even catch cancer early.”
And while this large colon inflatable is a great conversation starter, you should consider what the inside of your colon looks like.
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Guru says it’s important to pay attention to your body.
“If you’re having any symptoms of bleeding from your rectum, any changes of your weight or appetite, you have a family history of colon cancer, or if you have none of these symptoms you still have to start your colonoscopy at 45 years old so we can catch cancer early and treat it,” said Guru.
According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, one in 24 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime. That’s why it’s important to reach out to a gastroenterologist to get screened.
If you have a family member who’s been diagnosed with colon cancer, you should get screened earlier than the recommended age of 45. African Americans do have a higher risk of colorectal cancer.
So again, take care of yourself and get checked.
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