Saenz Gonzalez: You Can Take Steps to Detect and Stop Colorectal Cancer

How much do you know about colorectal cancer and how it might impact you? Do you know it affects both men and women? Or that it affects young and older adults? Do you know there are several different ways to screen for colorectal cancer? Or that routine screening can find signs of colorectal cancer and prevent it from developing?

March is National Colorectal Awareness Month. This is a great opportunity to learn more about this fourth most common cancer in the U.S. An estimated 152,810 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 53,010 are expected to die of this disease in 2024. In Texas alone, an estimated 12,000 people will be diagnosed and approximately 4,400 will die of colorectal cancer.

Who does colorectal cancer affect?

Colorectal cancer is more common in men than women. Black Americans are about 20% more likely to develop colorectal cancer and roughly 40% more likely to die from it than most other groups. Though more research is needed to determine exactly why this is the case, it may be in part because of barriers to health care often related to socioeconomic factors. Although colorectal cancer is more common in adults aged 65–74, rates in younger adults are on the rise at an alarming rate. In 2021, the recommended age for people of average risk to begin routine screening was lowered to 45 to account for this shift.

How do you screen for colorectal cancer?

There are several options for screening. A colonoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor can look inside the colon and rectum with a colonoscope, a long, flexible tube with a small video camera on the end. This procedure, recommended to be done at least every 10 years, can identify polyps (growths on the wall of the large intestine) that can be removed before they might become cancerous. Your health care provider may recommend more frequent screening based on your risk factors. Alternatively, you may choose to screen with a virtual colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years or an at-home stool-based test every one to three years. You would still need a colonoscopy if you receive an abnormal result from one of these tests.

How do I reduce my risk of colorectal cancer?

In addition to screening, you may be able to reduce your risk through your lifestyle choices:

• Be physically active. Exercise for at least 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week.
• Avoid or limit alcohol. To reduce your risk of cancer, it’s best to avoid alcohol completely. If you do choose to drink, limit your drinking to no more than one alcoholic drink a day if you are a woman, and no more than one or two a day if you are a man. The more you drink, the greater your risk of cancer. Do not smoke or use tobacco in any way. If you do, quit.
• Eat less red meat and avoid processed meat.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. 

Now that you know the latest on colorectal cancer, schedule an appointment with your health care provider to discuss whether you are eligible for screening and determine the best screening option for you. To learn more, visit www.preventcancer.org/colorectal.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Lorena Saenz Gonzalez, wife of Congressman Vicente Gonzalez and a member of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program. Statistics contained in the column were provided by the American Cancer Society. The column appears in The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service with the permission of the author. Saenz Gonzalez can be reached by email via: Mauricio.Armaza@mail.house.gov.

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