Health Officials Spotlight Colorectal Cancer Screening

Main Category: Colorectal Cancer
Also Included In: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology;  Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 10 Apr 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Officials with the state health department said this week that every year about 175 Montanans die from colorectal cancer and 490 people are newly diagnosed.

"Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Montana, after prostate and lung cancer for men, and breast and lung cancer for women," said Ginny Furshong, Comprehensive Cancer Control program manager for the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).

Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

One of the best ways to reduce cancer deaths is through routine screening. However, DPHHS officials say that less than half of Montana adults age 50 and older are up-to-date on colorectal cancer screening. Even more alarming, colorectal screening participation rates have not increased significantly in Montana in the past 10 years.

"Early detection is so critical," Furshong said. "Routine screening does save lives."

Several tests are available to screen for colorectal cancer. Some are used alone; others are used in combination with each other. People should consult with their physician on which test or tests are the most appropriate. DPHHS recommends these screening tests:

- Colonoscopy (every 10 years)
- High-sensitivity fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) (every year)
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy (every 5 years) plus FOBT or FIT every year
- Double-contrast barium enema (every 5 years)

Other tests are currently being evaluated and may be recommended for use in colorectal cancer screening in the future, including CT colonography (also known as "virtual colonoscopy") and stool DNA testing.

Furshong said 94 percent of patients whose colorectal cancer is diagnosed at the local stage survive for at least five years after diagnosis, compared to 12 percent whose cancer is diagnosed at the distant stage.

The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with advancing age and more than 90 percent of cases occur in people aged 50 or older. Nearly 80 percent of colorectal cancer could be prevented by screening methods that find precancerous polyps and lesions.

DPHHS recommends that all adults between age 50 and 75 years at average risk should participate in some form of screening. Furshong says that any screening is better than no screening at all. "The best colorectal cancer screening test is the one a patient will comply with," Furshong said.

Source
Department of Public Health and Human Services

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