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Campaign focuses on regular screening for colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer deaths among American men and women.But it doesn't have to be. Recently, Medicare and private insurance carriers made colonoscopy - the gold standard of colorectal cancer screening - the screening method of choice, and agreed to pay for screening colonoscopies for their patients over 50 who don't have symptoms. This decision gives physicians a tremendous opportunity to save thousands of lives. "Regular screening tests can help prevent colorectal cancer or find it early, when treatment is most effective," said Gastroenterologist Akram Ismail, M.D., of Lake County's Professional Gastroenterology and Surgery Associates.

"I urge everyone age 50 and older to speak to your doctor about having a screening colonoscopy.It could save your life. Ninety percent of the people whose colorectal cancer is found and treated early survive,"he added It is estimated that 130,200 men and women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and more than 56,000 lives will be lost to this disease. Most cases, 93 percent, occur in men and women over age 50.

Studies show that at least 33 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer could be avoided if people 50 and older had regular screening tests. Screening helps reduce deaths from colorectal cancer in two ways: by finding precancerous polyps that can be removed before they become cancer, and by finding colorectal cancer early, when treatment is most effective.

Most Americans 50 and older do not get screening tests for colorectal cancer. "Clearly,this is a cancer we can do something about,"said Ismail."If more began having regular screening tests,including the colonoscopy,we could see a dramatic decrease in the number of new cases and the number of deaths from this disease." The Centers for Disease Control, the nation's disease prevention agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, has joined with the National Cancer Institute and Health Care Financing Administration to promote Screen for Life.

"Early colorectal cancer may have no symptoms or may have early warning signs such as blood in the stool,a change in bowel habits,stools that are narrower than usual, general stomach discomfort, frequent gas pains or unexplained weight loss,"said Ismail.