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Calvert County Health Department
Early Stages Of Colorectal Cancer May Not Have Signs Or Symptoms
Calvert County Health Department
. http://www.calverthealth.org/

Early Stages Of Colorectal Cancer May Not Have Signs Or Symptoms

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Maryland. The American Cancer Society projects approximately 142,570 new cases and 51,370 deaths in 2010 in the United States. And of those, 2,630 new cases and 950 deaths are projected to have been in Maryland.

The concern regarding colorectal cancer is that it does not usually produce symptoms in its early stages, so you can look healthy, feel fine, and not know there may be a problem. If signs and symptoms are present, they may include bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stool, change in bowel habits, abdominal mass, cramps, or pain, and iron deficiency anemia that is not caused by other conditions.

The major risk factor for colorectal cancer is age. More than 90% of colorectal cancer is found in people age 50 years and over. The American Cancer Society recommends screening for all people beginning at age 50, for people before age 50 if they have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or adenomatous polyps (small growths that can turn into cancer), and for people with a history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn colitis). “That's why colorectal cancer screening is so critical to begin at age 50 or younger with risk factors or a family history” says Tammy Halterman. Women with cancer of the ovary or uterus (womb) before the age of 50 also need to start screening for colorectal cancer earlier.

There are several tests for colorectal cancer. One such test is colonoscopy which uses a flexible tube with a light to look inside the large bowel or colon to find cancer or to find and remove polyps, small growths that can turn into cancer. When the disease is caught early, it is 90 percent treatable. “That's why colorectal cancer screening is so critical,” says Tammy Halterman of Calvert County Health Department. “It is important to remember that screening for colorectal cancer could save your life.”

The Calvert County Health Department is educating the public on the benefits of early testing and providing no cost colorectal cancer testing for eligible individuals in order to decrease cancer mortality and cancer disparities in Maryland. For more information about colorectal cancer and the availability of colorectal cancer screening for qualifying individuals, please contact Calvert County Health Department at 410-535-5400, ext. 348.

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