Awareness campaign urges Nevadans to be screened for Colorectal Cancer

by Las Vegas Tribune

By Troy Wilde

RENO — A national awareness campaign under way in March is urging
people in Nevada and elsewhere to be screened for one of the deadliest
forms of cancer. Cari Herington, executive director, Nevada Cancer
Coalition, said Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is important because
early detection and treatment can increase the chances of survival up
to 70 percent.
“If folks got screened, if anything is found — any cancerous polyps —
they often can be removed immediately,” Herington said, “and survival
rates are very, very good.”
An estimated 500 Nevadans die from colorectal cancer each year, she
said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that
it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans.
Herington said screening should start at age 50, and having a
colonoscopy every 10 years is the “gold standard” of screening
methods. She added that a less invasive procedure, called the Fecal
Immunochemical Test (FIT Test), can be done at home.
“You mail it in to a lab, and if anything is found through that test,
then you can go in for a colonoscopy and further testing and removal
of any possible cancers,” she explained.
Herington said it is also important to be screened if there is a
family history of the disease. The American Cancer Society estimates
that more than 50,000 Americans will die from colorectal cancer this
year.