After Age 50 Baseball fans might remember former Red Eric Davis' bout with cancer a few years ago. Davis suffered from colorectal cancer, the fourth most common type of cancer in the U.S. Statistics show that colorectal cancer is more common in men than women. That can be a problem many men don't want to talk about colon health, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 's Lisa Cooney reported. Colorectal cancer strikes the part of the bowel that is the farthest down in the pelvis, the last ten inches right above the sphincter. Early detection is the key to successful treatment, according to Janice Rafferty, a colorectal surgeon at the University Hospital.
Early detection is critical.
The only way that we can cure colorectal cancer is to find it before it has spread. A colonoscopy, a procedure in which a flexible tube travels the colon and takes pictures, can reveal polyps and other growths that might lead to colorectal cancer. Doctors recommend routine screenings after age 50, Cooney reported. Doctors discovered cancerous growths in Ira Goldman's colon during a colonoscopy several years ago. His efforts to make sure he received routine screenings probably saved his live, Cooney reported.