Health care professionals remind people to be screened for colon cancer

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and health care professionals are reminding people to get colon cancer screenings.

While the overall number of colon cancer patients is on the decline, rates for patients under the age of 50 are increasing, according to the American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer is the 4th most diagnosed cancer is the U.S., with more than 100,000 people diagnosed so far this year.

One health care professional at the UW Carbone Cancer Center says treatments are getting better.

“When it comes to the treatment of colon cancer. I think the key thing is to try to catch it early. And when we find folks in an asymptomatic and screening type of manner, yeah, our outcomes are better because the surgical techniques are good and our post-operative chemotherapy does a good job of reducing the risk of recurrence,” Dr. Sam Lubner with UW Carbone Cancer Center, said.

Dr. Lubner says any screening test is better than no screening. That includes a colonoscopy or taking an at home test.