Early Screening is Key! March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Members of our Boulder Community Health staff wore blue today to raise awareness of the importance of early screening for colon cancer.

BCH Oncology Nurse Navigator Susan Hall and Rochelle Fehrn of Gastroenterology of the Rockies also set up a booth outside the Foothills Hospital cafeteria to give out information and goodies like lip chap and blue wristbands to patients and staff for Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

Did you know: Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers and can be detected at an early stage?

Preventing colon cancer does not have to be expensive and there are many screening options available, including a simple take-home kit called a FIT test for colon cancer screening.

Colon Cancer risk factors include:

• Personal or family history of colon cancer or polyps.

• Over 50 years old.

• Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s Disease.

• Genetic conditions Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colon Cancer (HNPCC) or Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP).

• Jews of Eastern European Descent and certain ethnic groups including African Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and Latinos.

This year’s American Cancer Society (ACS) theme is “We’ve got your back covered” and the goal of their campaign is early screening.

For an appointment, call Gastroenterology of the Rockies at 303-604-5000.

The BCH Colon Cancer Awareness booth will be back on March 21. Visit us and sign up for a screening colonoscopy or a take-home FIT test to be eligible for our raffle to win a massage or acupuncture session at the BCH Center for Integrative Care.