GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and every year more than 50,000 people die from colorectal cancer.
Dr. Scott Stillwell is a family medicine physician at St. Gianna Clinic in Green Bay and says getting screened at the right age is very important.
“The standard age for a recommendation for a screening for colon cancer is at age 50. But with anything in medicine, we try to tailor the recommendation according to risk factors.”
One of those risk factors include family history of the disease. Every year about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Polyps are an early stage of colon cancer and screenings are key to detection.
“The goal of screening is finding colon cancer before it becomes unmanagable,” says Dr. Stillwell.
Having a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in red meat are pivotal in preventing this disease.
“I tell patients that over half of the products in their grocery cart when they leave the grocery store, should be from the produce department.”
He says maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking are vital to prevention.
Find more information about the importance of colon cancer screening and colonoscopies at www.prevea.com.
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