March is National Colorectal Awareness Month and Magruder is making screening easy for locals. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Thursday next month, Magruder Hospital will have free take-home colorectal health screening kits available in the main lobby of the hospital. This is being done to increase awareness and early detection of the disease. According to Dr. Panju Prithviraj, Medical Director of Magruder's Oncology Clinic, colorectal cancer is a preventable type of cancer.
“Unlike some other cancers, colorectal cancer, by following certain guidelines, is quite preventable and is a cancer that can be detected early through screening. This leads to diagnosis of early stages of colorectal cancers and thereby decreases chances of recurrence with high chances of a cure. Prevention and early detection can go a long way toward changing these numbers. When detected early and treated promptly, cancer of the colon and rectum is one of the most treatable and curable forms of the disease,” said Dr. Prithviraj.
Beginning at age 50, men and women who are at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should begin screening. Screening can result in the detection and removal of colorectal polyps before they become cancerous, as well as the detection of cancer that is at an early stage.
The take-home kits are a basic screen for blood in the stool, which could be a sign of several colorectal health issues. A colonoscopy, which is an outpatient screening procedure, is more widely accepted as the screening that is most effective for early detection of colorectal polyps and cancer.
For information on the colorectal health screening kits, call director of health promotion Rachel Fall at 419-734-3131, ext. 3363.

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