RICHLANDS, Va. – March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. WVVA is speaking with a doctor to learn more about preventing the second deadliest cancer in the United States.
Dr. William Hunter, a gastroenterologist with Clinch Valley Health says colorectal cancer is extremely preventable. The cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S. only behind lung cancer.
Dr. Hunter says prevention for the disease typically begins at age 45 with a routine colonoscopy.
“Most colon cancers start out as a polyp which takes several years to grow into a cancer. The idea behind a screening colonoscopy is to remove these polyps before they become cancer,” said Dr. Hunter.
Dr. Hunter says everyone over the age of 45 should be getting the procedure done every ten years. However, he says if you have a family history of the disease you may need to have them done sooner.
“People who have ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease need one every year that it’s diagnosed. People with a family history of colon cancer need their first colonoscopy ten years prior to the age of when the family member was diagnosed with colon cancer,” said Dr. Hunter.
Leanne Keen, the hereditary cancer coordinator at Clinch Valley Health says she recently turned 45 and volunteered herself to undergo the minor procedure which was documented online by the hospital for future patients.
She says many people make the procedure seem worse than it is. She says its a small price to pay to avoid battling cancer in the hospital.
“It’s the thing that we hate to see. Patients hate it after the fact. I’ve never seen a patient say I wish I could have gone back and not done that colonoscopy. It’s always I wish I would have gone back and did that colonoscopy when I had the chance,” said Keen.
The American Cancer Society says it’s expected that nearly 53,000 people will die from colorectal cancer in the U.S. this year.
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