Get Your Screen On — Spread the Message for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Contact:
Hannah Herrington
301-941-2632 
media@gastro.org

Bethesda, MD (Feb 23, 2018) — March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and encouraging people to make the choice to get screened is a top priority for the American Gastroenterological Association. Please join us in spreading the word on the importance of screening.   Do you have a colorectal cancer screening experience you’d like to share to encourage others to get screened? If so, please contact media@gastro.org. Colorectal Cancer Facts:

• Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women in the U.S. ¹
• Colorectal cancer is expected to cause about 50,630 deaths during 2018. ²
• You can decrease your risk for colon cancer by increasing physical activity, maintaining a healthy diet, reducing alcohol and quitting smoking. ³
• Colorectal cancer mostly starts with no symptoms at all, which is why routine screening beginning at age 50 (age 45 for African Americans) for all normal-risk individuals is so important. ⁴
• High-risk individuals, such as those with inflammatory bowel disease or Lynch syndrome or those who have a family history of colon cancer or polyps, should talk to their doctor about getting screened earlier. Screening and removing colon polyps is the only way to prevent colon cancer. ⁵

This year, AGA has created a brief video, titled Life Matters, providing real reasons why people get screened for colorectal cancer. All month long we will be sharing stories of everyday people who have chosen to get screened and their motivation for doing so on our Facebook page.  AGA offers resources to learn more about paying for a colonoscopy and the different screening options: Colorectal Cancer What to Expect: Paying for Your ColonoscopyCRC Screening At-A-Glance ¹ https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html² https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html³ https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html⁴ https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html⁵ https://www.gastro.org/attachments/6448/1_CRC_Overview_Design_2017.pdf # # # 

About the AGA Institute 

The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to more than 16,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org.  Like AGA on FacebookJoin AGA on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn Check out our videos on YouTube