>>LAUREN VERNO: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. SO ONE IN 3 ADULTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 50 74 HAVE
NOT BEEN TESTED FOR COLON
CANCER. YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO
START AT AGE 50. JACKSONVILLE
HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES
IN THAT CATEGORY. MORE THAN
150,000 PEOPLE WILL BE
DIAGNOSED IN MORE THAN 52,000
WILL DIE FROM THE DISEASE IN
THE UNITED STATES THIS YEAR.
SO THAT IS WHY DURING THE
MONTH OF MARCH, THE AMERICAN
CANCER SOCIETY IS ENCOURAGING.
EVERYONE. 45 AND OLDER, EVEN
YOUNGER TO AT LEAST GET
SCREENED. JOINING ME NOW TO
DISCUSS THIS IS DOCTOR A REEF.
COME COME ALL THE CHIEF
PATIENT OFFICER FOR THE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR
HAVING ME. SO DOCTOR, KEMAL
COLORECTAL CANCER, ALSO THE
SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER
DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND ONE STATISTIC I SAW BY THE
END OF THIS DECADE, IT WILL BE
THE NUMBER ONE CANCER KILLER
FOR ADULTS YOUNGER THAN 50. SO
THAT’S WHY WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
THIS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES
TO SCREENING AND THAT SO
IMPORTANT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, COLON
CANCER IS ONE OF THOSE CANCERS
THAT WHEN CAUGHT EARLY HAS A
VERY HIGH RATE AND BEING
COMPLETELY CURED. THE OTHER
THING ABOUT IT IS THAT IT
TENDS TO GROW SLOWLY. AND SO
WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS GET AHEAD
OF THAT AS IT FIRST STARTS
GROWING. AND THAT’S WHY WE DO
COLON CANCER SCREENING TESTS.
ONCE WE FIND IT, WE JUST CLIP
IT OUT. AND HOPEFULLY THAT’S
THE END OF THE STORY. THE
REASON THAT WE SEE A LOT OF
CANCERS ACTUALLY MOVING
EARLIER IN PEOPLE’S AGES IS
THAT OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WAIT TO
HAVE A COLON CANCER SCREENING
TEST AND THEY SAY, WELL, YOU
KNOW, I WAIT ON 55 OR 60
BECAUSE THIS IS A TEST OF
OLDER FOLKS. WE’RE STARTING TO
SEE THOSE THAT’S CATCHING UP
TO US EVENTS WHERE PEOPLE
MISSING SCREENING AT 45 AND
ABOVE, AS YOU MENTION, IS THE
REASON WE’RE STARTING TO SEE
EARLIER CANCERS AS WELL.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YEAH, I MEAN,
THAT’S THAT SIMPLE
CONVERSATION. KIND OF GOING
THROUGH THE FAMILY HISTORY. A
LOT OF PEOPLE, THOUGH, ARE
TURNED OFF BY THE ACTUAL TESTS
THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO GET AT
50. HOW CAN YOU KIND OF MAKE
PEOPLE FEEL A LITTLE MORE
COMFORTABLE AT EASE AND TAKE
THAT STIGMA OFF?
>> YEAH. WELL, WHEN MOST
PEOPLE THINK ABOUT COLON
CANCER SCREENING, WE THINK
ABOUT A COLONOSCOPY, RIGHT?
THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD TAKE A
LOT BAL A LIQUID THE NIGHT
BEFORE AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH
THAT PROCESS. BUT WE RECOGNIZE
NOW IS THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL
OPTIONS TO FIT TOWARDS WHAT A
PERSON IS INTERESTED IN HOW
MUCH PREPARATION THEY WANT TO
DO, HOW OFTEN THEY WANT TO DO
THE TEST. SO WHAT I EVERYONE
TO DO IS TO TALK TO THEIR
PHYSICIANS ABOUT WHAT’S THE
RIGHT TEST FOR THEM. THERE’S
TESTS THAT WE CAN DO AT HOME
THAT TAKE LITERALLY MINUTES
THAT YOU DO ONCE A YEAR ALL
THE WAY UP TO COLONOSCOPY,
WHICH REQUIRES A BIT MORE
PREPARATION THAT CAN BE DONE
EVERY 10 YEARS WE DO IS LOOK
AT, YOU KNOW, THERE’S LOTS OF
OPTIONS. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO
IS HAVE EVERYONE FIT TO THE
RIGHT OPTION. THAT’S BEST FOR
THEM. YEAH. I MEAN, I LOVE
THAT. IT’S THAT CONVERSATION
AND REALLY ADVOCATING FOR
YOURSELF FOR THE BEST PLAN
THAT IS SUITS. YOU.
>>LENA PRINGLE: WHAT ARE SOME
OF THE BIG OBSTACLES HERE?
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME
PEOPLE THEY DON’T HAVE
INSURANCE OR THEY MAYBE DON’T
HAVE A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR.
>> YEAH, SO THAT THIS IS AN
IMPORTANT ISSUE IN SOME OF IT
DOES DEPEND ON IN COVERAGE AND
THAT KIND OF THING. WHAT WE’VE
ASKED PEOPLE TO DO IS ACTUALLY
CALLED THE AMERICAN CANCER
CITED. TALK TO US ABOUT IT. WE
HAVE 24 7 ON STANDBY AT PHONE
NUMBER, A CALL CENTER WHERE WE
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. ALMOST
250,000 TIMES PER YEAR. IN
ADDITION AT CANCER DOT WORK
FRONT, SLASH GET SCREENED. WE
HAVE PIECES OF INFORMATION AND
RESOURCES AND CONTACTS TO GET
TO THIS AS WELL. WE DO NOT
WANT INSURANCE OR FINANCIAL
ISSUES TO BE A BARRIER FOR
SCREENING. AND FOR MOST
PEOPLE, IT’S NOT BUT OFTEN
TIMES IT REQUIRES A LITTLE BIT
OF WORK AND A LITTLE BIT OF A
CONNECTION AND A LITTLE BIT OF
GUIDANCE, WHICH WE AT THE
AMERICAN SOCIETY ARE HAPPY TO
PROVIDE. THAT’S GREAT. SO
WE’LL GET THAT WEB SITE OF THE
PHONE NUMBER ON NEWSFOURJAX
DOT COM TO TELL PEOPLE EXACTLY
WHAT THEY SHOULD BE LOOKING
FOR AND HOW THEY CAN GET MORE
REAL QUICK, JUST WHAT ARE THE
SYMPTOMS? BECAUSE I KNOW THE
USUALLY DON’T FEEL THEM ARE
ARE ARE SENSE THEM UNTIL KIND
OF LATER IN THE DISEASE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT. AND SO WE
THINK ABOUT CALL, RECTAL
CANCER AS WE NEED TO FIND IT
BEFORE THEIR SYMPTOMS IS OFTEN
TIMES WHEN SYMPTOMS PRESENT.
IT’S A VERY ADVANCED IN AND
IT’S DIFFICULT TO TREAT.
>> AND CERTAINLY MORE
DIFFICULT TO CURE. SO, YOU
KNOW, WE DON’T LOOK FOR THINGS
LIKE WEIGHT LOSS OR OR
DIFFICULTY I’M WITH, YOU KNOW,
WITH ENERGY LEVEL OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT. THIS IS ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT SILENTLY OCCURS.
AND SO WE WANT TO FIND IT. THE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TESTS ARE
LOOKING FOR AT CHANGES IN THE
BODY IN PARTICULAR, SMALL
AMOUNT OF BLOOD THAT WE LOOK
FOR IN THE TESTS AND THE
COLONOSCOPY ITSELF ACTUALLY
LOOK FOR CHANGES IN THE
TISSUE. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS
DON’T WAIT TO FEEL DIFFERENT
OR FEEL WORSE OR FEEL LIKE YOU
HAVE COLON CANCER NOT REALLY
SUCH A THING, BUT IT REALLY IS
BASED ON THE CALENDAR. IF THE
CALENDAR SAYS IT’S BEEN A YEAR
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN SCREEN, NOW
IS THE TIME TO DO IT. AND
THAT’S WHAT I ENCOURAGE. SO
MAKE IT A PART OF THE ROUTINE
CONVERSATION WITH YOUR
CLINICIAN IS PART OF YOUR
ANNUAL PHYSICAL. IF YOU DON’T
HAVE AN ANNUAL PHYSICAL
SCHEDULED, MAKE ONE NOW AND
CERTAINLY PICK UP THE PHONE,
CALL US AS WELL AS AMERICAN
STUDYING. LET’S FIND A WAY TO
GET YOU TO SCREENING AS SOON
AS POSSIBLE. ALL RIGHT, THANK
YOU SO MUCH. GREAT, GREAT