Colorectal Cancer - Prevention & Screening
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. This year, 134,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 55,000 will die. Colorectal cancer strikes just as hard in both men and women. The American College of Gastroenterology recommends that individuals over 50 be screened for colorectal cancer by their physicians.
True primary prevention includes stressing a low fat, high fiber diet, adequate calcium intake, and identification of any risk factors such as a strong family history of colon cancer, which might increase an individual's risk. Dietary supplementation with D-Glucarate is an exciting new approach.
Most colon cancers develop from benign polyps. The possibilities for eliminating colon cancer are amplified because we don't have to wait for cancer to emerge. Screening and early removal of polyps thus can eliminate most colon cancers. African Americans are less likely to have received appropriate colon cancer screening, and experience lower survival rates from this disease than do whites.
Screening for Colorectal Cancer:
An annual fecal occult blood test, which checks for minute traces of blood in the stool; a flexible sigmoidoscopy once every 3-5 years to detect colorectal cancer at its earliest and most treatable stage. Begin at age 50.
An annual colonoscopy is recommended for high risk patients of any age with prior history of cancer, a strong family history of the disease, or a predisposing chronic digestive condition such as inflammatory bowel disease.
