Jamie Knight from the Kentucky Cancer Program for the Pennyrile region and Chloe King from the Community Medical Clinic appeared on WHOP on Wednesday to talk about the importance of early screening for colon cancer.
Knight shared that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths. The age of eligibility for colorectal screenings was 50, but it was lowered to 45 because people have been contracting the cancer at a younger age.
By 2030, Knight says colon cancer is projected to be the leading cause of cancer related deaths for those between 20 and 49 years old. She shared that colon cancer is hereditary, and can also develop as a result of lifestyle choices such as poor diet, lack of exercise or alcohol consumption.
Knight emphasized the importance of having early colorectal screenings because if colon cancer is caught early then it can typically be treated. However, in its early treatable stages colon cancer often times does not have any symptoms, but once symptoms such as a change in bowel habits, blood in stool and stomach cramping start to occur that may mean that the disease has already progressed.
Colonoscopies are typically free for those who have health insurance and for those who are uninsured then the community clinic can refer them to a state program where they can receive an at home test. If the person is high risk, then the community clinic can refer them to have a colonoscopy for free.
King says they have seen an increase in people seeking cancer screenings and the community clinic offers incentives to those who receive colorectal screenings.
More information about the community clinic’s services can be found at communitymedicalclinic.org and more information about the cancer program’s services can be found at kcp.uky.edu.