March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center Network supports the American Cancer Society’s efforts to encourage all Americans at average risk to begin screening starting at age 50.

During the month of March, The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center Network is offering a free ColoCare kit designed to test for hidden blood in the stool—the earliest and most frequent symptom of colorectal cancer and other gastrointestinal tract disorders.

This in-home test is not a substitute for a regular physical and rectal examination by your physician, but may indicate the need for one. To receive the ColoCare kit and more information, call MedLine at 800 242-5662.

The fight against colon cancer has seen much progress in recent years - the 2007 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer reported that death rates from colon cancer dropped 4.9 percent per year in men and 4.5 percent per year in women between 2002 and 2004, and that incidence rates have been declining steadily over the past decade in both men and women.

These important declines can be attributed to prevention and early detection of the disease through screening, as well as increasingly effective treatment.

Despite this progress, colon cancer remains the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. The American Cancer Society says 108,070 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, 40,740 with rectal cancer; and 49,960 will die from the disease. Wider use of proven screening tests could save more than half of these lives.

“Colon cancer is one of only a few cancers that can be prevented through screening,” said Dr. Stephen Golder, medical director of The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge Medical Center. “Precancerous polyps, from which colon cancers often develop, can be identified and removed before they become cancerous.”

Dr. Golder recommends that men and women at average risk for colon cancer begin screening at age 50, utilizing either the fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test; endoscopy procedures such as a flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy; or radiological imaging with double-contrast barium enema. Those at increased or high risk should talk to a doctor about the appropriate screening test and schedule.

More people are getting screened for colorectal cancer, indicated by the fact that colorectal cancer screening rates have recently increased. This may be due to multiple efforts to increase awareness of the importance of screening, as well as expansions in health care coverage for colorectal cancer screening and the establishment of screening programs in certain states.

However, in spite of these advances, only about half of men and women age 50 and older have been screened. Colorectal cancer risk increases with age, with more than 90 percent of cases diagnosed in individuals aged 50 and older. A personal or family history of the disease also increases risk. Studies indicate that men and women who are overweight are more likely to develop and die from colon cancer, and a diet high in red or processed meat is known to increase risk.

For behavior and prevention recommendations that can reduce risk of colon cancer and other cancers, go to SarahCannon.com. To receive your free ColoCare kit, call 800 242-5662.