As part of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, Bayhealth Medical Center will offer free colorectal cancer screenings to educate the community and help people identify cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage.

“Colorectal cancer is the third leading type of cancer in the United States , and like many cancers, symptoms are rare in its early stages.  If people wait for symptoms before getting screened, it’s more likely they will be diagnosed with advanced disease”, according to Bayhealth Medical Center Cancer Screening Nurse Navigator, Paula Hess, MSN , RN, OCN . 

Hess says the best way to detect colorectal cancer early is to have regular screenings. 

Cancer screening guidelines call for colorectal screenings for men and women starting at age 50.  For African-Americans and anyone with a family history of colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps, or a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, screening will need to start earlier than age 50.