![Colorectal cancer: why it is essential to get tested](https://img.passeportsante.net/1000x526/2017-10-23/i53684-cancer-colorectal-pourquoi-il-est-indispensable-de-se-faire-depister.jpg)
March 2, 2017.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. An opportunity for the National Cancer Institute (INCa) to recall the importance of screening which saves patients, if they do it on time.
“Blue March”, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
We don’t like the idea of getting tested for a disease, but in the case of colorectal cancer, this screening is essential because it can save life. It is on this theme that the National Cancer Institute wished to emphasize on the occasion of ” Blue mars , Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. This cancer is still too deadly (18,000 deaths per year), however when it is detected in time, it is cured in 90% of cases.
The priority concerns are men and women over 50. ” A third of patients wait more than 6 months after the appearance of symptoms specific to this cancer before consulting », Deplores INCa. If you experience fatigue, abdominal pain, digestive problems or if you have detected traces of blood in your stool, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor who will give you a test.
A free and very easy-to-use screening test
This test is very easy to use and is covered 100% by Health Insurance. Admittedly, it is not very tasty, because you will need to take a stool sample, but if it can save your life, don’t hesitate for a moment. You will then send this sample to the laboratory of medical biology whose address will be indicated on the envelope T supplied with the test.
If this test is positive, it doesn’t automatically mean you have cancer. On the other hand to be sure not to take any risk, you will be offered a colonoscopy to remove the polyp (benign tumor) before it turns into cancer. In total, only one in 10 people is diagnosed with cancer following a colonoscopy. Remember that this screening should be done every two years, between 50 and 75 years old.
Read also: Colon cancer: the benefits of turmeric
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