My doctor hasnt talked to me about colorectal cancer screening. Why?
Sadly, although physicians routinely recommend Pap smears, prostate cancer screenings, mammography and chest x-rays for patients, screening for colorectal cancer remains vastly underutilized. This may be the result of the uneasiness physicians and patients feel in discussing colorectal cancer. However, screening can save lives. Unfortunately, only 37 percent of colorectal cancer patients come to the doctor at an early stage when the cure rate is as high as 95 percent. With 130,000 new cases of colorectal cancer and 56,000 deaths anticipated in the year 2000, there is no room for embarrassment or silence about colorectal cancer. The fact is, screening is safe, effective and readily available and a fecal occult blood test is the place to start.
