Colon Cancer Awareness Month

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month.  Did you know that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. when men and women are combined? It is a cause of considerable suffering among nearly 135,000 adults diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year. About 1 in 3 adults between 50 and 75 years old, about 23 million people, are not getting tested as recommended.

When adults get screened for colorectal cancer, it can be detected early at a stage when treatment is most likely to be successful, and in some cases, it can be prevented through the detection and removal of precancerous polyps.  Most health insurance plans cover this potentially lifesaving screening.  Use the health benefits you’re paying for to get screened for colon cancer.

There are several recommended screening test options, including: colonoscopy, stool tests (fecal occult blood test [FOBT] or fecal immunochemical test [FIT]) and sigmoidoscopy.  The best test is the one that gets done, so talk to your primary care provider today!

To learn more you can visit cancer.org/colon or call 1-800-227-2345.

To find a HealthNet location and provider near you, please visit www.indyhealthnet.org.

Source:
www.cancer.org/coloncancer

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