Colon Cancer Screening With A Special Shout-Out To Black Americans
This year, the deaths of actors Chadwick Boseman and Natalie Desselle Reid from colorectal cancer hit the country. These beloved actors died at 42 and 53, respectively, and are a loss to so, so many: family, friends and fans.
While we don’t know the details about when they were diagnosed, we do know that Americans, especially Black Americans, are getting colorectal cancer at younger ages. As someone who has been dedicated to increasing colorectal cancer screening rates, hearing about these deaths makes me think about all the people who have never been screened, and all the unnecessary suffering and death.
So I’m asking you: Even though we all have so much on our minds during the pandemic, please do what we know works to make your life long and healthy: don’t smoke, eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, and get your cancer screenings! Getting screened for colorectal cancer is even something you can do from home, with at-home FIT colorectal screening kits that are sent to you and returned by mail.
Contact your doctor and see what screenings you are due for, and let her or him know of any concerns you have. Make sure your doctor knows about your family history of colorectal cancer, so she or he can help you get screened at the right time in the most appropriate way. And don’t be afraid to venture out to your doctor’s office. Going to see your doctor for routine care is safe, with outpatient clinics and doctors’ offices having precautions in place as they follow best practices for preventing the spread of Covid-19.
45 is the new 50 when it comes to colorectal cancer testing
Americans, especially Black Americans, have been being diagnosed with and dying of colorectal cancer at younger ages. The current US’s national recommendation for beginning colorectal screening at 50 is under review by the US Preventive Services Task Force, and that expert panel’s recommendations determine what health insurance plans must cover at no cost to us. The group’s recommendation is under review, and is likely to fall to 45 years of age, a starting age already recommended by the American Cancer Society and other medical professionals’ associations.
What will this mean for you?
Some of us already have insurance coverage that allows us to get screened for colon cancer at 45, but, if the age is lowered, many more will have better access to this life-saving early detection test. And from there, doctors will be better able to find and remove cells that are likely to turn into cancers. And if we are found to have cancer, it will be caught earlier so we will have fewer, easier treatments, less suffering and longer lives.
For most us, screening will be an easy at-home stool test (FIT) or a colonoscopy, a procedure that allows your doctor to see your colon and remove cells that might be or become cancer.
One thing that won’t change is that you should talk with primary care provider about your family’s cancer history and any symptoms you may have, such as: changes in stool (like diarrhea), constipation or blood; bloating, pain, cramps or gas; feeling like your bowel doesn’t empty completely; feeling generally weak or really tired; or losing weight when you aren’t trying. If you have a family history of colorectal cancer or symptoms, your doctor may want you to be screened BEFORE you are 45.
What else can you do? Take care of yourself and your family by doing what we know works, especially when it comes to cancer screening: getting mammograms to detect breast cancer; getting cervical cancer screening (Pap tests); making sure your child get his or her HPV vaccine to avoid a long list of cancers later in life; and finally, a colonoscopy or FIT to beat colorectal cancer!
By Randi Kaufman