March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month

A combination of earlier detection and better treatments have yielded a steady decline in the colorectal cancer death rate over the past 20 years.  But colorectal cancer still will kill an estimated more than 50,000 people in the U.S. in 2014, including 570 in Iowa, according to the American Cancer Society.

Colorectal cancer is one of only a handful of cancers for which screening is proven to save lives, both by finding and removing polyps before they turn cancerous and by finding cancers early, when treatment is most likely to be successful.

More than 1 in 3 adults aged 50 and older are not being screened as recommended for colorectal cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that most people begin regular screening at age 50. People at higher risk, such as those with a family history of colon cancer, may need to start screening earlier.

For more information about how you can get involved with the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Winneshiek County and make a difference in the fight against cancer, please call Steve Courtney at (563) 380-8531 or visit www.RelayForLife.org/winneshiekcountyia