Medical

Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal Cancer Network Proposes the Following Screening Guidelines

130,000 to 150,000 people are diagnosed every year with colorectal cancer.
56,000 of them die each year.

The majority are diagnosed at Stage 3 or Stage 4.

A low estimate of treatment at Stage 3 is $80,000. Multiply that by 130,000 minimum that get diagnosed and you discover that there is more than $10.4 billion dollars being spent on colorectal cancer treatment every year. For that same amount of money we can screen 13 million people and keep them from getting colorectal cancer in the first place.

Our goal is total elimination of colorectal cancer. Not just a reduction in deaths. Not just catching it earlier.

This cancer starts as a polyp. Remove the polyp and you don't get this cancer.

It's that simple.

And being that simple it should be a routine for all adults to be screened for colon cancer.

So we propose that screening guidelines should be:

	Age 20		DNA stool test or equivalent
	Age 25		DNA stool test or equivalent
	Age 30		Colonoscopy
	Age 35		DNA stool test or equivalent
	Age 40		Colonoscopy

And that this pattern should be continued for as long as a person chooses. Not to be stopped by guidelines at the age of 70-75. Guidelines should never include ageism.

This proposal will eliminate colon cancer in our lifetime. Making it the first cancer to be conquered ever!

CCNetwork ~ PO Box 182 Kensington MD 20895-0182 ~ www.colon-cancer.net ~ 301-879-1500

"I think it's a definite improvement over the current guidelines. I am in favor of having a colonoscopy at 30 personally... but that's me."
"... it is far better to catch polyps than colon cancer."
-Erica (Mother Died March 2004)

Source: Colorectal Cancer Network