Free cancer screening kits available this month

March 11--Local Lehigh Valley Health Network properties have free colon-rectal cancer screening kits available to anyone who asks.

The network is distributing the kits throughout March, which the American Cancer Society has proclaimed Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

The tests can detect blood in the stool, which could be a sign of serious trouble, said Dr. Joshua A. Nochumson, a colon-rectal surgeon with an office at Health & Wellness Center at Hazleton.

And while the screenings can flag possible problems, Nochumson said a colonoscopy can provide more accurate results. It's considered the "gold standard" of colon-rectal cancer testing and is recommended for individuals 50 and older who have no symptoms or family history of the disease.

Nochumson said only 50 percent to 60 percent of people have the test done.

"Maybe their primary doctor never suggested it to them or maybe they don't want to go for an insurance reason," he said. "There are others who just don't want to get a colonoscopy."

With colonoscopies, doctors inspect the entire colon for abnormalities. If they find a questionable polyp, they're able to biopsy it at that time.

Nochumson added that there are less invasive tests, such as a limited sigmoidoscopy.

"It doesn't look at the entire colon, it looks at the last third," he said.

Unlike with colonoscopies, patients are awake when the test is done and no preparation is needed the day before.

Those who undergo limited sigmoidoscopies are advised to have a stool test done annually, Nochumson said. The combination of tests is thought to be as effective as a colonoscopy.

Doctors will order a colonoscopy if blood is detected in the stool or polyps are found in the colon.

A stool DNA kit can detect tiny amounts of blood. It's an option for those ages 50 to 75 who have no symptoms. They simply submit a sample for lab analysis. Those who receive a positive result are sent for a colonoscopy, Nochumson said.

According to the American Cancer Society, colon-rectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women in the United States.

In 2018, doctors diagnosed more than 97,000 new cases of colon cancer and approximately 43,000 new cases of rectal cancer.

Signs aren't always obvious, Nochumson noted, but can include blood in stools, abdominal pains, blockages in the colon and unexplained weight loss.

Free colon-rectal screening kits are available at a number of local Lehigh Valley Health Network locations. They can be picked up from the front desks of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton and Health & Wellness Center at Hazleton, and from Lehigh Valley Physician Group Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, 14th Street, Hazleton; LVHN Cancer Center, Airport Beltway, Hazle Twp.; and Health Center at Mountain Top at the Weis Plaza.

Contact the writer: jwhalen@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3592

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