Family member and doctor urge life-saving screenings during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month a local doctors is urging the public to get screened and learn more about the risks associated with this disease.
Colorectal Cancer is a disease in which cells in the colon grow out of control. It is the second deadliest cancer and is most often found in men over 45 years old. The challenge with diagnosis is the disease shows few to no symptoms until it is advanced.
“The most common symptom is nothing, so that's one of the problems with colorectal cancer, it's picked up at a late stage because initially it's asymptotic,” says Dr. Jaime Gomez, Colorectal surgeon at The Hospitals of Providence.
Catching the cancer at an early stage is key to treatment and survival according to Gomez. Avoiding a low-fiber, high-fat diet or eating processed meats can help patients avoid the disease.
“My father was diagnosed in March and by the fall, he was gone,” said David Acosta adding, “it happened very quickly, it was very hard to deal with, we didn't know what was going on. By the time they caught the cancer, it had already metastasized and it soon spread to his liver.”
Dr. Gomez says advises getting screened at an earlier age if you have family history of it, keeping a healthy diet, and listening to your doctor.
Acosta also encourages and highlights the importance of getting screened.
“One of the frustrations of losing our father, you know, if he had gotten screened on a regular basis, the way his doctor recommended, he might still be with us today,” said Acosta.
