Mount Sinai Experts Urge Colon Cancer Awareness and Education to Reverse Decline in Screening Rates during Pandemic

Newswise — Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States. Although highly treatable and preventable, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed and more than 50,000 people die each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The United States Preventative Task Force recommends starting age of screening from 50 to 45.

More than 93% of colorectal cancer cases occur in people 45 years old or older. More than 75-90% of colorectal cancer cases can be avoided through early detection and removal of pre-cancerous polyps, and as many as 60% of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented if men and women over the age of 45 were screened routinely.

In an effort to increase awareness and screening, Mount Sinai has expanded Colorectal Cancer Awareness Initiatives across all eight hospital sites during the month of March to provide patients with access to health professionals to discuss prevention, screening options, and risk factors. Mount Sinai experts will be available from various expertise to answer questions on diet, genetic counseling, the colonoscopy procedure and ways to schedule and support offered after diagnosis, and more.

Experts available for interview:

David Greenwald, MD, Director of Clinical Gastroenterology and Endoscopy at The Mount Sinai Hospital; Steven Itzkowitz, MD, Professor of Medicine and Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chair of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable; Laura Manning, MPH, RD, CDN, Clinical Nutrition Coordinator in the Department of Gastroenterology at The Mount Sinai Hospital; and Randolph Steinhagen, MD, Professor of Colon & Rectal Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital

Prevention Tips:

• Schedule a Screening: a colonoscopy is the preferred screening method as it allows for both detection and removal of precancerous polyps during the same procedure. Other screening options include a flexible sigmoidoscopy, CT colonography, and home-based stool tests including the fecal occult blood test (FOBT), fecal immunochemical test (FIT), and a combined fecal immunochemical test with DNA test (FIT-DNA test). Individuals should discuss all of these options with their doctor to find which method works best for their lifestyle.
• Know Your Risk Factors:
  
  • Age - More than 90% of colorectal cancer cases occur in people 45 years old or older and death rate increases with age.
  • Family history – As many as 1 in 3 people who develop colorectal cancer have other family members who have been affected by this disease. The risk is even higher if a relative was diagnosed under age 50 or if more than one first-degree relative (parent, sibling, child) has been affected.
  • Racial and ethnic background – Colorectal cancer affects people of all races and ethnicities. However, colorectal cancer disproportionately affects the Black community, where the rates are the highest of any racial/ethnic group in the US. African Americans are 20% more likely to get colorectal cancer and about 40% more likely to die from colorectal cancer than most other groups. Colorectal cancer screening rates remain lowest among Black and Hispanic/Latino communities.
  • Lifestyle factors – Common lifestyle factors that may increase colorectal cancer risk include: obesity; cigarette smoking; lack of exercise; overconsumption of fat, red and processed meats; not eating enough fiber, fruits and vegetables; and drinking alcohol excessively.
  • Pre-existing health conditions – Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, and less common genetic syndromes, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome, significantly increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. These patients are recommended to start screening at a younger age and more frequently.
• Warning Signs & Symptoms:
  • A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool, lasting for more than a few days
  • Rectal bleeding, dark stools or blood in the stool
  • Cramping or abdominal pain
  • Weakness and fatigue
  • Unintended weight loss

Colon Cancer Screen Events in March:

• March 2^nd – Mount Sinai Beth Israel- Linsky Lobby – 281 1^st, New York NY 10003
• March 7^th – Mount Sinai West – Main Lobby – 1000 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10019
• March 9^th – Mount Sinai Morningside – Ambulatory Care Center Lobby – 440 W 114^th, New York, NY 10025
• March 14^th – Ansonia – Primary Care Physicians – 2^nd Floor Lobby – 2109 Broadway 2^nd Floor, New York, NY 10023
• March 16^th – Mount Sinai Union Square – 2^nd Floor – 10 Union Square, New York, NY 10003
• March 21^st – The Mount Sinai Hospital- Guggenheim Pavilion – 1468 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10029
• March 28^th – Upper West Side – Upstairs Lobby – 230 West 74^th Street, New York, NY 10023
• March 31^st – Mount Sinai Brooklyn – Main Lobby – 3201 Kings Hwy Brooklyn, NY 11234

The Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, over 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.