Doctors promote getting tested during Colorectal Cancer month

(WAND) -- It's known as one of the country's leading causes of cancer-related deaths and that is why health officials are making sure you get tested.

During Colon Cancer Awareness Month, health officials are encouraging you to make an appointment to get a colonoscopy.

"The cancer arises from the large intestine, which starts at the end of the small intestine all the way to the anal canal. And then this cancer arises from the lumen itself and can lead to a deadly bleeding. Or it can lead to metastasis, which is the spread of tumor to other parts of the body," explains Dr. Waqas Azhar, an Assistant Clinical Doctor of Medicine at Southern Illinois University's School of Medicine.

According to the American Cancer society, close to 50,000 people will die from colorectal cancer this year in the United States.

"The five year survival in patients with stage 1 and 2 colon cancer is anywhere from 80% to 90%," explains Azhar." If somebody has stage 3 or stage 4 colon cancer, their prognosis is not good. Their 5 year survival is less than 50%, which means we lose more than half these patients over the next five years by the time they are diagnosed," said Azhar.

Hazar also mentions that it's better to test for the disease earlier rather than later.

One of the best ways to check is with a coloscopy. Doctors recommend you get one once every 10 years after you turn the age 45.

"Its a procedure in which we sedate the patient and pass a small scope from the rectum all the way through the large bowel..And try to screen the colon for any precancerous lesions like poylps or any masses," said Azhar.

People who have lynch syndrome, have a higher risk for colorectal cancer. Patients who get tested early can detect the disease much quicker.