Good morning everyone! I'll be taking over the Question of the Day on Wednesdays from now on.
Do you have a "cause" which is especially dear to you? Perhaps TNR, conservation, cancer research, renewable resourses....honestly, the list seems endless, and there are SO many worthy causes out there.
I'm passionate about colo-rectal cancer screening. I lost my grandfather at the age of 52, to colon cancer. I also work with a colo-rectal surgeon, so I see how colon cancer affects so many people.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of non-skin cancer in men (after prostate cancer and lung cancer) and in women (after breast cancer and lung cancer). It is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States after lung cancer. The rate of new cases and deaths resulting from this disease is decreasing. Still, over 147,000 new cases are diagnosed, and more than 57,000 people die from colorectal cancer each year.
A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) checks for hidden blood in the stool. Studies have proven that this test, when performed every 1 to 2 years in people ages 50 to 80, reduces the number of deaths due to colorectal cancer by as much as 30 percent.
I started my screening tests in my mid 30's, and had my first colonoscopy when I turned 40. On my first colonoscopy, three polyps were found. Polyps can often turn into colon cancer, so I feel very lucky that I started testing early.
Do you have a "cause" which is especially dear to you? Perhaps TNR, conservation, cancer research, renewable resourses....honestly, the list seems endless, and there are SO many worthy causes out there.
I'm passionate about colo-rectal cancer screening. I lost my grandfather at the age of 52, to colon cancer. I also work with a colo-rectal surgeon, so I see how colon cancer affects so many people.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of non-skin cancer in men (after prostate cancer and lung cancer) and in women (after breast cancer and lung cancer). It is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States after lung cancer. The rate of new cases and deaths resulting from this disease is decreasing. Still, over 147,000 new cases are diagnosed, and more than 57,000 people die from colorectal cancer each year.
A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) checks for hidden blood in the stool. Studies have proven that this test, when performed every 1 to 2 years in people ages 50 to 80, reduces the number of deaths due to colorectal cancer by as much as 30 percent.
I started my screening tests in my mid 30's, and had my first colonoscopy when I turned 40. On my first colonoscopy, three polyps were found. Polyps can often turn into colon cancer, so I feel very lucky that I started testing early.