Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Develops Helpful Tool to Simplify Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Screening Guidelines

(Note to Editors: Seattle Cancer Care Alliance experts are available for interviews.)

Colon cancer will take more than 50,000 American lives in 2014 making it the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Yet more than 90 percent of colon cancer cases can be prevented by screening. So why have only 63 percent of Americans aged 50 to 75 been screened for colon cancer?

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) experts, including Dr. John Inadomi, colon cancer oncologist at SCCA and head of the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Washington are committed to reducing the number of colon cancer deaths each year and have developed a helpful tool to simplify colon cancer prevention and screening guidelines. The ‘This One Thing Could Save Your Life’ infographic provides risk factors and screening recommendations, as well as information to help reduce the fear associated with colonoscopies.

The infographic is available on SCCA’s website at Your text to link... and can also be shared across social networks to help raise awareness among friends and family.

Following guidelines from the American Cancer Society, SCCA and Dr. Inadomi recommend:• Beginning at age 50 men and women get a colonoscopy every ten years.• Men and women who believe they are at high risk talk to their doctor about their risk factors and screening recommendations.

Colon cancer risk factors include:• A first-degree relative with colon cancer• Smoking• Inflammatory bowel disease• A diet high in red or processed meats and low in fruits and vegetables• A history of ovarian, breast, or endometrial cancer (among women)