BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Louisiana has the third-highest death rate from colon cancer in the nation. The Mary Bird Perkins Center is warning about the dangers of the disease.
Colorectal cancer or colon cancer is preventable and treatable but doctors with the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center said it’s now important to talk to your doctor when you’re as young as 45.
“It is a highly preventable and treatable type of cancer, but about forty percent of those persons at risk are never screened,” said Director of Early Detection & Education Heather Johnson.
Symptoms of colorectal can be detectable in your everyday life.
“Blood in the stool, changes in your bowel habit or strong family history are indicators that you need to have the conversation with your health care provider,” said Johnson.
At the cancer center’s event, there was a walk-through inflatable colon tissue for patients and citizens to see for themselves the difference between a regular colon tissue and a cancerous colorectal.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Prevention on the Go program offers affordable testing.
“With our Prevention on the Go program, we offer take-home tests that test for blood in your stool called FIT test and [with] a positive finding of the FIT test you are then recommended for a colonoscopy,” explained Johnson.
Not everyone shows symptoms. If you are 45 or older, doctors recommend regular screenings.
If you need more information about their screening program, Prevention on the Go, you can go to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center online or call the screening hotline at 225-251-1234.