Digestive Health Experts Urge More Americans to Get Screened for Colorectal Cancer

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Although new evidence released by the American Cancer Society attributes early detection to the sharp decline in colorectal cancer deaths in the U.S., not enough Americans are getting screened for colorectal cancer, according to experts from the American College of Gastroenterology. Screening rates remain low, even though Medicare and many private plans pay for screening tests.

While there has been significant improvement in public awareness of colorectal cancer and screening, few people realize that there are a number of simple screening tests that can make colorectal cancer one of the most preventable cancers. Early detection of colorectal cancer, when it is most treatable, directly results in improved survival, exceeding 90 percent when detected at the earliest stages.

Colonoscopy remains the preferred screening strategy for colorectal cancer screening, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. Unlike other screening modalities, such as flexible sigmoidoscopy and fecal occult blood test, colonoscopy is the only test that can detect and remove pre-cancerous polyps from the colon during the same examination. 

The ACG recommends men and women at average risk for colorectal cancer to begin screening at age 50. African-Americans should begin colorectal cancer screening as early as 45. To learn more about the benefits of colorectal cancer screening and prevention, speak with your doctor or visit http://www.acg.gi.org.

Physician Experts Available for Interviews
Physician experts on colorectal cancer screening are available for media interviews for March Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

Our physicians can address:
· various colorectal cancer screening methods, including colonoscopy
· emergence of new screening technologies
· recent scientific developments in colorectal cancer prevention
· advice on the lifesaving potential of colorectal cancer screening
· screening recommendations for average to high-risk individuals, particularly African-Americans.

About Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is the number two cancer killer in the United States, affecting men and women equally. The American Cancer Society, in their 2008 Cancer Facts & Figures publication, estimates 148, 810 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and nearly 50,000 will die from the disease. However, with screening and early detection, many of these deaths can be prevented. Most colorectal cancers develop from polyps, which are abnormal growths in the colon. Left undetected and free to grow, some polyps may develop into cancer. Screening tests can find and remove precancerous polyps before they turn into cancer.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendations
For normal risk individuals, the American College of Gastroenterology recommends screening beginning at age 50 (age 45 for African-Americans). The preferred screening test according to the American College of Gastroenterology is colonoscopy every 10 years. An alternative strategy for average risk individuals is an annual stool test for blood and a flexible sigmoidoscopic exam every 5 years. Unlike colonoscopy, this approach does not allow identification and removal of polyps in the entire colon.

For those with a family history of colorectal cancer, testing should begin at 40 years of age or 10 years younger than the age of the youngest affected relative at the time of colon cancer diagnosis, whichever is earlier. For both average and high risk individuals, all potential precancerous polyps should be removed.

Earlier Screening Recommended for African-Americans: Begin at Age 45
African-Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a younger age than other ethnic groups, and African-Americans with colorectal cancer have decreased survival compared with other ethnic groups. Physician experts from the American College of Gastroenterology in 2005 issued new recommendations to healthcare providers to begin colorectal cancer screening in African-Americans at age 45 rather than 50. Colonoscopy is the preferred method of screening for colorectal cancer and data support the recommendation that African-Americans begin screening at a younger age because of the increased frequency of colorectal cancer and a greater prevalence of proximal or right-sided polyps and cancerous lesions in this population. The recommendations were published in the March 2005 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 10,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist though its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients.

Source: American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)

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