CDC: 1 in 3 adults are not getting screened for colorectal cancer
About one in three adults aged 50 to 75 years have not been tested for colorectal cancer as recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), according to a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite research that shows colorectal cancer screening tests saves lives, screening rates remain too low.
CDC colorectal cancer
“There are more than 20 million adults in this country who haven’t had any recommended screening for colorectal cancer and who may therefore get cancer and die from a preventable tragedy,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Screening for colorectal cancer is effective and can save your life.”
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer among men and women in the United States, after lung cancer. Screening tests can prevent cancer or detect it at an early stage, when treatment can be highly effective. Adults aged 50 years and older should get tested with one or a combination of these screening tests:
- Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) done at home every year,
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy, done every five years, with FOBT/FIT done every three years,
- Colonoscopy done every 10 years.
A colonoscopy can detect cancer early, and it can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. An FOBT/FIT is a simple at-home test that can detect cancer early by identifying blood in the stool, a possible sign of cancer. People are not always offered a choice of colorectal cancer tests, but studies have shown that people who are able to choose the test they prefer are more likely to get the test done.
It’s a myth that colonoscopies are for “prevention.” You can’t prevent a disease without understanding its cause. The high incidence of colon cancer is due to the unnatural and ineffective method of defecation used in our society. Humans were designed to squat for bodily functions, like all primates and like the majority of humanity. The sitting position makes it impossible to fully evacuate the colon. The lower regions — cecum, sigmoid colon, and rectum — do not get emptied out. Fecal stagnation leads to bacterial overgrowth, inflammation and malignant mutations. This is why these lower regions account for eighty percent of colon cancers.
The role of the western toilet in colorectal cancer and other colon and pelvic diseases is explained in detail at http://www.naturesplatform.com/health_benefits.html . When this knowledge is understood and applied by the medical profession, many expensive procedures like colonoscopies will fall by the wayside.