March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Free colorectal cancer screening tests are available in March. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death.
Regular colorectal cancer screening is one of the most powerful weapons against colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer found early is often highly curable. Tammy Walker Cancer Center is making 800 free colorectal cancer-screening tests available to anyone age 45 to 75.
The screening is recommended for those who have not had a recent colonoscopy. The tests can be picked up at Salina, Lindsborg, Abilene, and Concordia pharmacies during the month of March and until April 7th.
Daniel Craig Cancer Outreach Coordinator Tammy Walker Cancer Center, tells KSAL News that the expanded test areas can help save lives.
“We will continue to have screening tests available at Tammy Walker Cancer Center through the month of April or until we give all of the screening tests out.” To reduce the number of people coming into the cancer center, Craig says anyone interested in a screening test should call 785-452-4848 and they will mail a screening test.
The screening uses an advanced fecal blood test that requires only one sample and has no food or drug restrictions. The samples can then be mailed to Tammy Walker Cancer Center for lab analysis via a pre-paid postage envelope provided. Results of the test will be returned to
both the patient and their primary care physician. Participants in the screening should return their samples for analysis by May 30.
Health officials recommend all men and women have a colonoscopy at age 45 to screen for colorectal cancer. Between colonoscopies patients can screen with a fecal blood test. Other tests may also be recommended by your physician. Those with a family history of the disease
should consider screening at a younger age. African Americans are also known to be at an increased risk for colorectal cancer.
For more information about the free colorectal cancer screening tests contact Daniel Craig, Cancer Outreach Coordinator at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center, by calling (785) 452- 4848 or email [email protected].
