Carolyn McIvor, M.D., a Gastrointerologist associated with Alegent Health Cancer Center

Recent media attention is raising awareness for the country's second-leading cause of cancer deaths: colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer affects both men and women, occurring most frequently in people over 50 or with a family history of colorectal cancer. Colon cancer can also affect younger adults.

One of the most deceiving aspects of colorectal cancer is that its symptoms may be subtle or mistaken for other health problems. Symptoms include anemia, changes in bowel habits, weight loss and intestinal obstruction.

"Identifying colorectal cancer can be difficult," says Dr. Carolyn McIvor, a gastrointerologist associated with Alegent Health Cancer Center. "With many cancers, if you don't have symptoms, you feel OK. Blood in the stool is a common symptom that people think about. If there are no signs of it, people tend to neglect going in for screenings. This is unfortunate because detecting cancer before symptoms develop offers the best chance for a cure."

Experts say screening tests can significantly decrease the risks of colorectal cancer and can even save lives.

It's estimated that we could save 30,000 lives each year if people would simply do screenings. With colon cancer, we have the luxury of identifying precancerous growths, or polyps. It can take as long as five to ten years for a polyp to change, "adds Dr. McIvor. "It is commonly believed that almost all colon cancers originate from polyps. This gives us a great opportunity to remove polyps detected by screening even before cancer develops."

Screening tests are available in several forms, all of which doctors say can be effective in detecting the disease at an early stage. The American Cancer Society recommends the following guidelines to detect colorectal cancer early:

Beginning at age 50, have one of the following tests:

• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) every year and flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years (the American Cancer society prefers this option compared with FOBT only or flexible sigmoidoscopy only); or
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years; or
• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) yearly; or
• Colonoscopy every 10 years; or
• Double-contrast barium enema every five years

"People at risk are also those who have a family history of cancer of any part of the gastrointestinal tract, or people should have chronic gastrointestinal problems, such as ulcerative colitis or chronic changes in bowel habits," notes Dr. McIvor. Awareness is the key to survival," adds Dr. McIvor. "Currently, less than 25 percent of people get screened. One of the biggest reasons, studies show is because physicians aren't recommending colorectal screenings. We need to change this."

The American Cancer Society indicates that the risk of colorectal cancer may be lowered by regularly taking aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at low doses.

Eating foods high in fiber and low in fat and at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day can also decrease the risk of developing the disease.