It’s alarming, but did you know that last year more Arizonans died from colon cancer than car crashes?
When Mesa resident Lori Slattery turned 50, her doctor recommended that she get a colonoscopy. Like many people her age, her initial response was, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll get to it later.”
Slattery had been super healthy all her life. Her father lived to be 90, and she didn’t have a history of colon cancer in her family.
Four years later, she caved in and got a colonoscopy. She is sure glad that she did. After the screening, her doctor told her that she had a pre-cancerous polyp.
As a mother and grandmother, Slattery decided right then and there that she wanted to be aggressive with her treatment options. About a year and a half ago, she had her appendix, a portion of her colon, and a section of her small intestine removed.
Slattery healed up wonderfully following her surgery. After being re-tested, she learned that all of her tissue was polyp-free, making her incredibly grateful to be alive.
Slattery is not alone. About 1 in 21 men, and 1 in 23 women, will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. And routine colonoscopy screenings could help prevent at least 60 percent of the deaths caused by colon cancer, according to the CDC.
That’s why a free Colorectal Cancer Seminar, hosted by Mountain Vista Medical Center, 1301 S. Crismon Road in Mesa tomorrow, March 14, is important. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and during the seminar, Gastroenterology Fellows Dr. Sara Ancello and Dr. Jordan Vulcano will provide tips to minimize your risk of getting colorectal cancer, identify common symptoms, and become more familiar with treatment options.
