Press Releases - Saint Barnabas Medical Center - Saint Barnabas Health Care System

2007 Press Releases

Saint Barnabas Medical Center Provides Tips for
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Livingston, N.J.--March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (NCRCAM) and The Department of Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center reminds the community that screenings are crucial to prevention.

This year, more than 148,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and more than 56,000 people will die from this disease. Colorectal cancer is not only the third most common cancer in both men and women, striking them in equal numbers, it is also the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Yet it is one of the most highly preventable forms of cancer.

“Colorectal cancer is a uniquely preventable disease,” says Ronald Chamberlain, M.D., MPA, FACS, Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. “Finding and removing polyps can prevent up to 90 percent of colorectal cancers. We are missing life-saving opportunities because thousands of people who should be getting screened are not.”

Early diagnosis is critical to survival. Research shows that 91 percent of patients with localized colorectal cancer survive for five years after diagnosis, yet only 37 percent of all diagnoses occur at this stage. The remaining 63 percent of cases are not discovered until the disease has spread throughout the body. Because 75 percent of new cases occur in persons with no known risk factors, regular colorectal cancer screenings are crucial to prevention.

Cancer Screening and Treatment

Most cases of the disease begin as non-cancerous polyps, which are grape-like growths on the linings of the colon and rectum. These polyps can become cancerous and removing them can prevent colorectal cancers from ever occurring. Because there are often no symptoms related to polyps or early cancers, it is important to be tested on a regular basis.

Colorectal cancer screening tests can also detect the disease in its earliest, most curable stages. There are many options for screening. These include: a fecal occult blood test yearly; a sigmoidoscopy every five years; a colonoscopy or double contrast barium enema every 5 to 10 years. You may consider having all non-cancerous polyps removed to help prevent colorectal cancer before it starts.

Surgery is the most common treatment for colorectal cancer. Chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy is given before or after surgery to most patients with colorectal cancer that has spread. There are many treatment options available.

Prevention Tips

The Department of Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation offer the following suggestions for preventing colon and rectal cancer:

Prevention

· Get regular colorectal screening tests beginning at age 50. If you have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer, polyps, or inflammatory bowel disease, you may need to be tested earlier.

· Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight.

· Eat a low-fat diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

· Don’t smoke

· Don’t drink alcohol excessively.

Risk Factors

· Men and women age 50 and older

· People with a personal or family history of colorectal cancer, colorectal polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease

· People who use tobacco.

· People who are obese and are sedentary

Symptoms

In the early stages of colorectal cancer, there may not be any symptoms. Later, these symptoms may appear:

· Rectal bleeding