Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States and it can be prevented, but many people do not get screened for the disease.

When colon cancers are detected at an early stage, the five-year survival rate is 90 percent, but the majority of Americans do not get tested. Dr. Jan Rakinic, associate professor of surgery at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, says people should not be squeemished or embarrassed about being tested for colon cancer. She explains why being tested is so important:

SOUND BITE: ". . .the large majority of colorectal cancers originate in a polyp, which is a visible lesion lining the colon. And if we can remove polyps when they are still polyps, then presumably we can impact on colorectal cancer and even prevent most colorectal cancers."

Early colon cancer usually has no symptoms. The major risk factor is being over the age of 50. Other risk factors include having a family history for colon cancer and other cancers, a personal history of polyps and inflammatory bowel disease. Colon cancer can be detected only by screening.

Rakinic explains:
SOUND BITE: ". . . we recommend that people who have no family history of colorectal cancer or polyps and no symptoms, undergo colorectal cancer screening at age 50. If nothing is found in that individual, that individual does not need to be rescreened for five to ten years in the absence of colorectal symptoms. Now people with a family history though, of polyps or colorectal cancers, are in a higher risk and they should be evaluated for the very first time when they are 10 years younger than the youngest person in their family who has a polyp or cancer identified."

Dr. Rakinic says that a colonoscopy is the best screening procedure for detecting colon cancer. This procedure allows the removal of polyps that could become cancerous if not detected and removed. For more information about colon cancer screening, contact your primary care physician.