At Epic Care CyberKnife, our mission is to help patients throughout Walnut Creek and the East Bay win the battle against cancer. We’re proud to offer noninvasive CyberKnife treatment for a wide range of conditions to help achieve that goal, but as any good cancer doctor knows, the best way to fight cancer is through awareness, prevention, and early detection. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and we’re proud to celebrate it every year at our Walnut Creek cancer center.

The Facts About Colorectal Cancer

While colorectal cancer is the 5th most common cancer in men and women, it’s the second leading cause of cancer death – which is why spreading awareness about colorectal cancer is so vital. While colorectal cancer has a relatively high mortality rate, it isn’t more aggressive or dangerous than most forms of cancer. The reason it causes so many deaths is that doctors often don’t find it until it’s already at an advanced stage. In fact, 60% of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented with better screening.

So what’s the best way to protect yourself from colorectal cancer? The answer comes down to screening. Colorectal cancer has seen a 30% decrease in its mortality rate since January of 2013, in large part due to better and more widespread screening. Keeping up to date with your colorectal cancer screening schedule is the best way to prevent this condition from becoming a problem for you.

In keeping with the Centers for Disease Control, we recommend that adults aged 50 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer every 5 to 10 years, depending on the specifics of your risk factors. Colorectal cancer screening may include a colonoscopy, a flexible sigmoidoscopy, a fecal immunochemical test (FIT), or any combination of these or other cancer tests. You should talk with your cancer doctor about your individual risk factors to decide on the best screening option for your case.

Contact Your East Bay Cancer Clinic

Colorectal cancer is a deadly disease, but with diligent screening and care, it’s possible to catch it early and provide effective treatment – and in some cases, we may be able to treat it using noninvasive CyberKnife alone. Interested in learning more about colorectal cancer and how we can help you beat it? Contact us today to discuss our treatments or schedule your consultation. We look forward to hearing from you, and we wish you a happy, healthy Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!