March is Colon Cancer Awareness month.
• Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer.
• 140,000 Americans are diagnosed each year leading to 50,000 deaths.
• More than 90% of cases occur in people aged 50 & older
Dr. David Samadi states that Colon Cancer is a preventable & treatable disease. If patients are screened early by way of a colonoscopy risk of death can be reduced by 60%.
If someone is consumes a lot of fatty food & red meat and does not eat enough fruits & vegetable the risk of Colon cancer will be high. Family history, obesity & inflammatory bowel disease are also risk factors people should consider.
Why is screening Important?
Early detection of changes in the lining of the colon called colon polyps can be removed curing the cancer.
Dr. David Samadi states that if a patient is reluctant to get an invasive colonoscopy an alternative testing method will be a DNA stool test named ColoGuard with an accuracy of 92%.
Colon Cancer Preventative Measures
• Stop smoking
• Stop drinking alcohol
• Have a high fiber diet
• Lose weight
• Exercise
• Getting screened
