CHRISTUS Health: Learn about colorectal cancer and when to start screenings

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and CHRISTUS Health recognizes this important campaign by providing crucial information about the second– deadliest cancer in the U.S., which can be detected with screenings.

“Colorectal cancer is a cancer found in the colon or rectum, which starts out as a noncancerous tumor or polyp and then slowly becomes invasive,” said Dr. Kevin L. Dean, surgeon with CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Health System. “It is very important to recognize the signs and symptoms of the cancer.”

He said early on, noncancerous polyps can be asymptomatic, but once the cancer progresses, patients may notice symptoms such as changes in bowel movements, such as diarrhea or constipation; the consistency, color and even shape of the stool; and abdominal pain, cramping or bloating.

“We typically start with an at-home Cologuard test,” he said. “If the test comes back abnormal, we send the patient to a gastroenterologist to perform a colonoscopy procedure to inspect the inside lining of the colon and rectum.”

A colonoscopy is performed while a patient is sedated. A colonoscope, which is a small, lighted camera attached to the end of a long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter, is inserted through the anus and advanced through the colon to the end. While advancing, the catheter pumps air into the colon to inflate it and the camera transmits video of inside the colon to a monitor.

Dean said treatment depends on the stage of the colon cancer.

“A polyp or early-stage colon or rectal cancer is treated with surgical resection,” said Dean. “Pathologists will look at a segment we remove during surgery telling us how deep the cancer grows, tumor invasions in the blood vessels, or spreading to any lymph nodes.”

Making headlines recently, Catherine “Kate” Middleton, 42, the Princess of Wales, announced her cancer diagnosis after abdominal surgery. While the type of cancer was not specified, experts have raised the possibility of colorectal cancer.

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force now recommends adults start getting screened for colorectal cancer at age 45. New cases of colon cancer have been declining among adults 65 and older but have increased 1% to 2% annually in people younger than 55 since the mid-1990s, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Early detection is crucial, because if the cancer goes untreated, it can become fatal,” Dean said. “We recommend routine, noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening tests for adults 45 and older at average risk.”

Dean said recognizing National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is a way for people to learn about the importance in taking the necessary steps to catch colon cancer early.