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TOMS RIVER, N.J., FEBRUARY 16, 2009 – In recognition
of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Community Medical
Center is holding a Colorectal Cancer Awareness Fair on Tuesday,
March 17 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Outpatient Lobby, adjacent
to the outpatient registration area. Various departments
will take part in the fair to provide information on risk factors,
prevention strategies, treatment options and nutritional considerations. There
will also be physicians and nurses available to answer or address
questions or concerns. Parking will be free, with validation, to
attend the Colorectal Cancer Awareness Fair.
Aside from skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the third most common
form of cancer found in adults in the United States, according
to the American Cancer Society, which estimates that there will
be about 108,070 new cases of colon cancer and 40,740 new cases
of rectal cancer this year alone. Combined, they will cause about
50,000 deaths.
Few Americans know that regular screening tests can detect the
disease in its most treatable stages. The goal of National
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, observed each March, is to create
awareness about colorectal cancer and encourage disease prevention
through regular screening and healthy living.
Colorectal cancer is a term used to refer to cancer that starts
in the colon or rectum. In most cases, colorectal cancers develop
slowly over a period of several years. It is known that most of
these cancers begin as a polyp, or a growth of tissue in the colon
or rectum. A type of polyp known as an adenoma can become cancerous
but removing the polyp may prevent colorectal cancer. It
is important that people practice a healthy lifestyle and go for
regular screenings to detect the disease so it can be treated as
early as possible.
Starting at age 50, individuals should receive a digital rectal
exam (DRE) and be tested for hidden blood in the stool (fecal occult
blood), annually. This test along with other screening strategies
has been proven to reduce the rate of colorectal cancer. Other
strategies include sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, barium enema and
virtual colonoscopy.
Colonoscopies at Community Medical Center are performed under
conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia as an outpatient procedure
in the Special Purpose Suite.
Information will also be available at the fair regarding New Jersey’s
new law that requires the state’s insurance companies to
provide insurance coverage for appropriate colorectal cancer screenings. Mandatory
insurance coverage is required for colorectal cancer screening
at regular intervals for people age 50 and older, and for people
at any age with a high risk of colon cancer. High risk under
the new law includes those people with a family history of colon
cancer or certain other cancers, chronic inflammatory bowel disease,
or those people with a background; ethnicity or lifestyle that
a physician believed puts a person at elevated risk for colorectal
cancer.
For more information or for referral to a Community Medical Center
gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon, call 1-888-SBHS-123.
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