TAMPA, Fla. — March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and this form of cancer is the second most deadly in the United States after lung cancer.
“The technician there had said, ‘Wow, you have a lot of cancer on your mother’s side of the family. Have you ever thought of genetic testing?’ And I said, “Well, no, I never thought of that because I never thought it was an issue,’” explained Cheri Pribyl.
It turns out it was an issue for Pribyl, and her test results shocked her.
“Well, low and behold, they called me like a week later and stated that, yes, in fact, I did have this condition called Lynch syndrome,” said Pribyl.
Lynch syndrome is heredity, and being diagnosed with it puts you at a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.
Sarah Rhode is a genetic counselor at Cleveland Clinic Florida. She said most of the time, cancer is not genetic or hereditary but about 5% to 10% of people with a family history of colorectal cancer can have a genetic predisposition to it.
“Unfortunately, there are some racial disparities. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer has a 20% higher rate in individuals with African American ancestry,” said Rhode.
Catching this form of cancer in its early stages can mean the difference between life and death.
“If colorectal cancer is diagnosed at stage 4, the five-year survival rate is around 33%. However, if we can identify colorectal cancer at stage 1, then the 5-year survival rate is at 90% or higher,” said Rhode.
Everyone should start screening for colorectal cancer at age 45, regardless of family history. It’s as simple as requesting a coloscopy, but if you do have this form of cancer in your family, it’s recommended you start screening 10 years younger than what the relative was when they were diagnosed with it.
“Other things we can do is to eat more vegetables, fruits, leafy green vegetables. Having that healthy diet can contribute to lower colorectal cancer risk,” explained Rhode.
Rhode also said other ways to help prevent developing this form of cancer are through frequent exercising, avoiding tobacco use and reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption.
