Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has taken an important step to manage her health by undergoing a colonoscopy procedure.
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be over 150,000 new colorectal cancer diagnoses this year, and one-third of those diagnosed will succumb to the disease. It is currently the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
A colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for screening and saving lives. According to the National Institutes for Health, adults whose cancer was detected by screening colonoscopy had substantially higher overall survival and colorectal cancer-specific survival five years after diagnosis (>85% and >90%, respectively) than those whose cancer was detected by symptoms or otherwise (<70% and <75%, respectively).
The minimum age for screening was lowered from 50 to 45 a few years ago, and doctors recommend getting the procedure every ten years.
