March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
- Brian Dooreck MD
- Nov 19, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 25, 2023
Why all the new news?
We have been seeing it in the media. I was reading the posts. The articles. As a gastroenterologist in clinical practice—seeing it firsthand.
"I hope to add real value to social media and share what my patients ask me about." — Dr. Dooreck
Gut Health ➕ Patient Advocacy with Navigation ➕ Life BalanceIf you were looking for information about Private Healthcare Navigation and Patient Advocacy from Executive Health NavigationClick here for Executive Health Navigation
Having served as doctors for over a decade, we help Family Offices, Private Individuals, Registered Investment Advisors, High-Net-Worth Advisors, and C-Suites navigate the healthcare system for their select clients/families, providing privacy and discretion.
Private Healthcare Navigation and Patient Advocacy when YOU need it mostThis past month alone, I have treated a 30-year-old woman with a remote (not first-degree) family history who presented with vague abdominal pain. She had right-sided colon cancer. And there was a 36-year-old father of two young children with metastatic (spreading to the liver) rectal cancer who had rectal bleeding from "hemorrhoids" and weight loss for six months. Neither was addressed early enough.
What Is Cancer?
Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control, and often they spread to other areas of the body.
What Is Colorectal Cancer?
"Colorectal cancer" is cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. Depending on where they begin, these cancers can also be named colon or rectal cancer. Colon and rectal cancers are often grouped because they have many features in common."
You can also read more on the American Cancer Society website.
A screening colonoscopy finds precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) so they can be removed before becoming cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death, claiming the lives of more than 50,000 people every year.
However, about one-third of adults aged 50 or older (about 22 million people)—the age group at greatest risk of developing colorectal cancer—have not been screened as recommended.
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
In March, you will see much more about colorectal cancer in the media and from me. President Bill Clinton dedicated March as National Colon Cancer Awareness Month in 2000.
Never Too Young
Cancer doesn’t care how old you are; colorectal cancer awareness is no longer just for people over 50.
Here is a great campaign to educate you.
Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines
In their 2018 guidelines, the American Cancer Society recommends that average-risk adults aged 45 years and older undergo regular colorectal cancer screenings.
And you’ll find in the CDC’s Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign that "if you’re 50 to 75 years old, get screened for colorectal cancer regularly. If you’re younger than 50 and think you may be at high risk of getting colorectal cancer or older than 75, ask your doctor if you should be screened."
Be aware. Be seen. Be screened if warranted.
Personally
I eat a high-fiber, mostly plant-based 🌱 diet, no red meat, drink 4 liters of water a day, exercise, and am focused on keeping nutrition simple. I am sharing what works for me and what I routinely recommend to my patients.
"Balance. Portion control. Keep nutrition simple. Eat Smart. Eat Healthy. 🌱 🌾 🌿"
Gut Health ➕ Patient Advocacy with Navigation ➕ Life Balance
If you were looking for information about Private Healthcare Navigation and Patient Advocacy from Executive Health NavigationClick here for Executive Health Navigation✴ Connect with Dr. Dooreck on LinkedIn, where he focuses his sharing on Health, Diet, Nutrition, Exercise, Lifestyle, and Balance.
gastroenterology | colonoscopy doctor | colonoscopy and gastroenterology services | gastro doctor | gi doctor | gastrointestinal diagnostic centers | public health
