NORWICH – March is traditionally celebrated in the health care world as Colorectal Cancer Screening Awareness Month. This is a time when health care professionals remind the public that it is very important for adults to be screened for colorectal cancer. UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital’s physician services department wants the public to know that the screenings are important. They can save your life. Make an appointment with your health care provider and have the screening done.
According to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, colorectal cancer screenings save lives in two important ways: by detecting the cancer early when it is most treatable and by finding and removing precancerous polyps before they become cancerous.
Generally, both men and women should undergo testing for the disease beginning at age 50. People with a high risk for colorectal cancer and those with a family history should speak with their health care provider about being screened at an earlier age.
Those at risk for colorectal cancer include:
• People age 50 and older
• People who smoke
• People who are overweight or obese, especially those who carry fat around their waists
• People who are not physically active
• People who drink alcohol in excess, especially men
• People who eat a lot of red meat or processed meat
• People with personal or family histories of colorectal cancer or non-cancerous colorectal polyps
• People with personal histories of inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis)
• People with family histories of inherited colorectal cancer or inherited colorectal problems
To minimize risk, recommendations are to be physically active; maintain a healthy weight; don’t smoke, or if you do smoke now, quit;  moderate alcohol consumption; eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains; eat less red meat and cut out processed meat from diet.
Tests normally recommended for those who have no signs or symptoms that may indicate cancer include stool blood test (fecal occult blood test), sometimes called FOBT; flexible sigmoidoscopy; colonoscopy; barium enema with air contrast; and virtual colonoscopy (CT Colonography). Patients should discuss these options with their health care provider to decide the option most appropriate for them and the intervals at which they should be performed. Then they should make an appointment to have the screenings completed.
Dr. Michael Trevisani, Vice President Medical Affairs/Chief Medical Officer at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital, is a colorectal surgeon. He has seen many life-threatening cases of illness which could have been avoided with simple screenings. He urges everyone 50 or older to make an appointment to have a colorectal screening. He suggests, “Binghamton Gastroenterologists Associates is seeing patients right here in Norwich at our hospital. If you need an appointment for screening, call them at 337-4800. They will do the screening and any follow-up if necessary.”