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Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States and it can be prevented, if diagnosed early. 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 embarrassed about being tested for colon cancer. She explains why being tested is so important.

SOUND BITE: " . . . colorectal cancer in most cases probably could be prevented if we found the polyps that cancers grow from and remove them before the cancers can grow. What it requires of course is that everyone at who’s risk have colonoscopy at intervals that we know about and that polyps be removed."

A person with 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. Rakinic says colon cancer can be detected only by screening and offers these recommendations.

SOUND BITE: " . . . colonoscopy screening, or colon screening should start at the age of 50. Now that's assuming someone does not have symptoms. If someone were to have symptoms of the colon like bleeding, changes in bowel habits, those types of things, of course, those things should be evaluated appropriately at the time they occur."

Dr. Rakinic says 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.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.