HOUSTON – LaTaisha Poe Cherry, a 47-year-old woman is like many. She’s in her forties, taking care of others, working and not worried about colonoscopies. It was something else that led her to the doctor.
“I felt like, ‘Ok well, something doesn’t seem right. I feel like something... I have some sort of blockage,’” she said.
It’s a classic story for colorectal surgeons.
Patients often don’t present with painful symptoms. Often, it may be something nagging or an unusual feeling that drives them to book an appointment. However, if these symptoms are ignored, it can cost them their life.
“While there’s a number of treatments for colorectal cancer, the number one treatment is actually prevention,” said Dr. George Chang from MD Anderson Cancer Center.
This year, about 4,300 Texans will die from colorectal cancer, while about three times that amount will be diagnosed with it for the first time, according to the American Cancer Society. Plus, the patient population is seemingly younger every year.
Previous guidelines instructed people to get screened starting at 50 years old, which was recently moved down to 45 years old. Although, there’s now growing concern about patients in their 30s getting diagnosed.
“For someone born in the 1990s, they face twice the risk of being diagnosed with colon cancer and four times the risk of being diagnosed with rectal cancer compared with someone who was born in the 1950s,” said Dr. Nancy You from MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Ways to reverse this deadly trend
1. Move more - avoid sedentary lifestyles
2. Don’t be shy - talk to your doctor about your bowels and any changes
3. Get screened - at age 45, or earlier if there’s a family history
LaTaisha is glad she got screened, but wishes she had done it sooner since hers was already progressed to stage 3 when she was diagnosed. She said she had to endure a lot of chemo and radiation therapies.
“If you feel something is wrong, even the least bit, you know something is off about my body, go get tested,” she warned. “In the early stages, it’ll save you from radiation. It’ll save you from chemo. It’ll save your life.”
Q: Who’s most at risk?
According to ACS, one in 23 men and one in 26 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime. Black men are at greater risk.
Q: What does it cost to get screened?
In Texas, there’s a law to ensure your colonoscopy is free.
Q: Should you trust at-home tests?
ACS suggests you talk to your doctor, “but the most important thing is to get screened, no matter which tests you choose.”
Talk to your health care provider about which tests might be good options for you and to your insurance provider about your coverage.