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A local physician from New Horizon Health Center is encouraging residents to prioritize healthier lifestyle choices during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is observed in March as rates among young adults continue to rise.
According to data from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, although screening rates have increased and mortality rates decreased in older people, physicians are seeing a continued rise in colorectal cancer, or CRC cases in people under 50.
In recent years colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50, making it the second deadliest cancer overall.
That same data went on to say about 75% of young patients are diagnosed with an advanced stage while the metastatic CRC survival rate is 13%.
Due to the continued increase in diagnoses for younger adults, the American Cancer Society as well as the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force lowered the initial age for colon cancer screening for people without a family history of the disease to 45, according to Dr. Henry Imperial, a Brownsville physician at New Horizon Health Center and the facility’s chief medical officer.
He added that high risk people such as those who have a family history of colon cancer should get screened earlier.
Imperial explained that there are many factors that can increase risk for patients to develop colon cancer such as access to health care, prices and public health matters.
In the Rio Grande Valley, where a majority of the population is uninsured or underinsured, many residents have avoided seeing a physician due to costs for care which often leads to undiagnosed cancer or late diagnoses.
Despite the challenges, Imperial explained that New Horizon has partnerships with other organizations such as MD Anderson and Exact Science to help patients in the area get the necessary screenings.
MD Anderson will help patients who received a positive stool test to get a colonoscopy.
The facility also has a partnership with Exact Science which sends patients their cologuard, a stool DNA-based colorectal cancer screening test.
He added that unlike other cancer screenings, a colonoscopy allows physicians to identify pre-cancerous lesions such as polyps and serrated polyps and remove the cells before they continue to develop.
“Colonoscopy is one of the tests that prevents cancer unlike mammograms (where) once you see it, it’s (cancer) already there. (A) colonoscopy could actually remove some of the precancerous lesions before they become real cancers,” Imperial said.
He added that changing lifestyle habits can also help prevent colon cancer because it reduces other risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
“If you take care of the risk factors for colon cancer essentially we’re also taking care of risk for other types of cancers,” Imperial said.
Acknowledging that healthier lifestyles may sound unappealing, he explained that it doesn’t mean cutting off junk food entirely, it just means limiting bad foods.
“I still love my burger but not very often,” Imperial joked, adding that it’s OK to indulge in one’s favorite cuisine, but emphasized moderation and education.
Visit newhorizonhc.org for information on how to make appointments at any of the New Horizon clinics, which are located in Brownsville and Laguna Vista.
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