Dignity Health will host a free Colorectal Cancer Educational Session via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The speaker is Dr. Lin Soe, who works in hematology/medical oncology.
His talk is part of Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States, affecting men and women of all races.
To register for the talk, call Dignity Health at 805-542-6234.
More than 75 percent of colon and rectal cancers occur in individuals with no known risk factors, and they often begin with no symptoms. Dignity Health Central Coast stresses the need for regular screenings.
A colonoscopy is the only test available to detect and at the same time remove colon polyps. This is important because most colorectal cancers begin as benign polyps, Dignity Health noted in a news release.
Both men and women are equally at risk for colon cancer, and the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age.
Dignity Health said screening tests for colorectal cancer should begin soon after turning 45 and continue at regular intervals or at the recommendation of a physician. (The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also recommends starting screenings at age 45.)
Although colorectal cancer is most common among people 50 and older, recent data shows that 10.5% of colorectal cancers occur in people between the ages of 45 and 49. Most colon cancers appear in individuals with no known risk factors, Dignity Health said.
Dignity Health is the parent company of Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria.
— Dave Mason
