March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a time designed to raise awareness about the disease and encourage screening. CareOregon members can get screened at no-cost. Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts either in the colon or the rectum. Colorectal cancer is the third-most common cancer in both men and women, and the second-most common type of cancer death in men and women combined. Although the average age of diagnosis is 68 years old, individuals can develop the cancer much earlier. Because it often does not have any symptoms, most people won’t know they have it unless they get screened.

“Colon cancer is very treatable if found in early stages, and polyps or growths in the colon can be removed,” says Safina Koreishi, MD, MPH, CareOregon’s Senior Medical Director of Clinical Services. When caught early, the 5-year survival rate for colon cancer is 90 percent.

Get screened. Early detection saves lives.

结直肠癌筛查的重要性

If you are low risk, meaning you have no family history of the disease, a stool test can be used to detect signs of early colon cancer.

The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) looks for hidden blood in the stool, which may be early evidence of polyps or cancer. Stool tests are done every 1-3 years. These are easy to use and have very low/no risk. If they are positive, though, you will need to get a colonoscopy.

结肠癌筛查通常是通过进行结肠镜检查来完成的。结肠镜检查是一种医疗程序，使用带有摄像头的细管（称为结肠镜）检查整个大肠（结肠）的医疗程序。这是一项筛查息肉的绝佳测试，如果发现息肉还可以同时切除。该测试需要提前进行一些准备，而且可能存在一些风险。但如果您属于风险较高人群，这是最好的检测方法，也可能是您和医生共同选择的最佳方法。

我应该什么时候接受结肠癌筛查？

Because the risk of colon cancer is increasing, and happening at earlier ages, “the recommendation is to get screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 45. This is a change from previous recommendations, which was starting screening at age 50,” says Dr. Koreishi. If you have a family history of colon cancer, polyps or inflammatory bowel disease, your doctor will likely recommend that you start screening earlier.

从45-75岁开始，一般筛查建议是：

• Stool test (FIT) done every 1-3 years depending on the test
• A colonoscopy every 10 years

Your personal screening or monitoring/follow up schedule may change if your doctor finds polyps during a test. “If something is found and treated, then the testing interval will change, and you should follow your doctor’s recommendations,” says Koreishi. Your personal screening is also affected by your family history.

75岁以后，医生可能会建议不再进行结肠癌筛查，具体取决于您的健康状况。

如何进行结肠癌筛查

If you need a screening or a test, contact your primary care provider (PCP). Or call CareOregon Customer Service at 503-416-4100, toll-free 800-224-4840 or TTY 711, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also send us a secure message through our Member Portal at careoregon.org/portal.

结肠癌筛查可以帮助您确认自己的健康状况，如果确实患有息肉，也可以在最容易治疗的阶段及早发现它们。结肠癌筛查可能会挽救您的生命！