Written by Julia Korenman, M.D.
March 3, 2015
March is colorectal cancer awareness month. One in 20 people in the US will develop colon cancer and over 50,000 people die each year of it. Yet, how many of you have heard of the blue ribbon (for colon cancer) as opposed to the pink ribbon (for breast cancer)?
Last year, I wrote an article on colon cancer screening. Dr. Gantt wrote in November about Cologuard, the newest screening test, which involves sending a stool test to a lab; it is more sensitive than the old stool tests.
In today’s blog, I want to remind people to get screened and to address some barriers. Although we have become a society which will talk about almost everything, talking about bowel movements and our intestines can be embarrassing. The thought of having an invasive procedure can be daunting and the alternative of having to handle our own stool (for the stool tests) can be seriously unappealing.
Then, there is making the time. There is typically a doctor’s visit to hear about screening options and details, and a day for the colonoscopy procedure and recovery from sedation. Sometimes patients are reluctant to take a day off work, or their employers discourage it (and there is probably lingering embarrassment to say WHY they need the day off). Because a patient can’t drive, after receiving sedation, someone must drive them home. For those without available friends or family members, there are medical drivers for hire, but that can be expensive.
There is the cost—colon cancer screening is covered as a preventive test by the Affordable Care Act, but access is limited for those who don’t have insurance.
Then there is lack of knowledge. Some people don’t know that colon cancer is so common or think that it only happens to men (or women). There is also lack of knowledge that there are alternatives for screening, though colonoscopy remains the gold standard. The American College of Gastroenterology states that 1/3 of eligible Americans are not screened for colon cancer.
Thus, the blue ribbon campaign—to increase awareness of this common cancer.
Last summer, the Washington Post Health section published a heart-wrenching article by a woman whose 59 year old husband died of colon cancer. (“Another reason to stop avoiding that colonoscopy” by Claudia Manashe June 9, 2014) He had seen his doctor and had been recommended to have both colonoscopy and hemoccult testing and had done neither. I think that his story is the most common. People just don’t make the time to take care of this. There is always something more important – and more appealing – to do.
So, please, all of you who are over 50 (and African-Americans older than 45), talk to your doctor about colon cancer screening and make a commitment to yourself in some way to get screened.
https://ladydocscornercafe.com/article/cologuard–what-is-it/#sthash.0kRzI4mO.dpbs
Tags: