Colon Cancer Screening: Schedule an Appointment
How Serious Is Colon Cancer?
Colon cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer. However, colon cancer is the second deadliest cancer among American men and women today. Each year, more than 136,000 individuals are diagnosed with colon cancer. Of those diagnosed, over 50,000 of them will die from this disease.
How Can We Stop This?
In an effort to reduce colon cancer, the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable has created “80% by 2018”. This campaign aims to increase the colon cancer screening rate among eligible adults to 80 percent by the year 2018.
Can We Reach 80% by 2018?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted new research that found this initiative to be not only admirable but also doable. Researchers have determined that healthcare facilities in the U.S. have the capacity to perform the extra screenings needed in order to meet this goal.
Djenaba Joseph, M.D., MPH, medical director of the colorectal cancer control program at the CDC, along with his colleagues used survey data from healthcare facilities to dig deeper into this theory. They have collected information from centers that perform colonoscopies to determine the number of annual screenings, as well as their capacity for additional screenings. In 2012, there were more than 15 million colonoscopies performed annually, the researchers found. However, it’s possible that an additional 10 million colonoscopies could take place yearly throughout the country.
In order to screen the eligible population, researchers have determined that 47 million FIT procedures and 5.1 million colonoscopies would need to take place annually between 2014 and 2024. In order to achieve this, FIT procedures are fecal immunochemical tests.
According to Healio , if a program used colonoscopies as the only screening method, approximately 11 million to 13 million procedures would need to happen annually to screen the eligible population.
What Are Current Colon Cancer Screening Rates?
Current screening rates are around 58 percent. Therefore many still need to screen in order to reach 80 percent by 2018. Are you or your loved ones up-to-date with colon cancer screening? Set an appointment with a healthcare provider today. Routine screening is one of the most powerful steps you can take to protect yourself against colon cancer.