Beaufort Memorial Hospital is encouraging folks over 50 to get a colonoscopy.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 140,000 patients will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and nearly 50,000 will die from it. That's why Dr. Kevin Kearney says it's important to get checked.
"I've had patients with no symptoms whatsoever and came in for a screening test at the age of 50 found to have pollups. So they get them removed during the procedure if the pollups are small enough. Other patients come in and know theres a problem, and they kind of sit on it for a while, they're afraid, they're embarrassed, there are plenty of excuses, and that's really what we're doing today, trying to make the patient more aware to come in earlier."
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States and Kearney says it doesn't really matter if you're a man or a woman, you're still at risk and should be on the look out for warning signs.
"A change in bowels, diarrhea, constipation, something different than normal, along with that sometimes is rectal bleeding, nauseav, discomfort....and some have no symptoms at all."
He says this test is not just about prevention, it can also save lives...
"Certainly if something is found the colonoscopy can sometimes be the cure for the colon cancer. In other words, if during the procedure itself, if i find a pollup and remove a pollup, the pollup itself may have a small amount of cancer in it."
Kearney says that early detection is the best way to tackle any problems. And according to the American College of Gastroenterology, detecting and removing precancerous pollups can prevent up to 90% of colon cancer cases.
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