Colorectal cancer has a 91% survival rate if caught early, but it is also the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Why? Because people aren’t keeping up with their recommended early screenings.
Regular screening for this type of cancer can catch the illness at its earliest stages, well before symptoms arise and when the disease is at its most treatable. As a former state representative, I have been a strong advocate for keeping Delaware residents healthy. In 2016, I co-sponsored a joint resolution to establish March as “Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month” and for Delaware to work toward achieving 80% testing compliance by 2018.
Unfortunately, we have yet to meet this goal, with only 66% of Delaware residents keeping up with their recommended screenings. This gap in screening adherence is partly due to the perceived barriers associated with existing testing methods, including the special preparation, dietary changes, time and discomfort associated with colonoscopies, and the unpleasantness of stool-based tests.
Along with these traditional screening methods, new blood-based tests can hopefully close these gaps. For example, blood tests like Shield — the first Food and Drug Administration-approved test for primary CRC screening and intended for those at average risk — can make the screening process easier.
The best cancer screening is the one you get done. I encourage all Delawareans to talk to their physicians about what their cancer risks are and the options available to them, and to make a screening plan today. Together, we can fight the toll this terrible disease takes on all our communities. Our work here is not done, but with continued progress, we can get there.
Joseph Miro
Former state representative serving Pike Creek
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
