I was joined today by Matt Flory from the American Cancer Society.  He says more than 1,000 people in Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties combined are Colorectal Cancer survivors.  Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common form of cancer.  Last week the recommendation age of when a person should be screened for colorectal cancer changed from 50 to 45.  Flory says the reason for this is because the large amount of people between the ages of 45 and 50 who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The American Cancer Society made this recommendation in 2018, but the US Preventive Services Task Force formally approved it last week. Listen to our conversation below.

 

Colorectal cancer does run in families and Flory says is slightly more likely to happen with men than women.  Weight gain and lack of physical activity can be contributing factors to getting colorectal cancer.  Flory says colonoscopies are good tests but there are more less invasive options now available that people can do at home.  Flory says due to the pandemic many people put off screening for breast and/or colorectal cancer.  He encourages people to get this screening done because both breast and colorectal cancer can be treated more effectively with early detection.  Colorectal cancer is 90 percent survivable if caught early but less than half are caught in this more treatable stage.

Learn more about Colorectal cancer or for other cancer concerns at cancer.org.

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