March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a time to focus on the third-most diagnosed cancer in the U.S.
Central Maine Healthcare gastroenterologist Kanishka Bhattacharya, MD, stresses that early detection is crucial in preventing the onset of colorectal cancer.
“The mortality rate has fallen quite a bit,” he says. “However, as we are doing screening, we are detecting it earlier.”
According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, this type of cancer takes the lives of about 50,000 in the United States every year, while another 150,000 are diagnosed with it annually.
The American Cancer Society’s recommended age for screening was recently dropped to 45, following an increase in the number of colorectal cancer diagnoses in people aged 45-50.
Colonoscopies are usually done on an outpatient basis at Central Maine Healthcare. The procedure involves a colonoscope, a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera and light on one end that relays information to a video monitor. You can learn more about colonoscopy screenings at CMH here.
Dr. Bhattacharya recently spoke on CMH Close-up on WCME Radio about Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Click here for the interview. WCME | (radiomidcoastwcme.com)