Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, St. Elizabeth Hospital to Offer Free Screening at Gonzales Wal-Mart
MARCH IS NATIONAL COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
(Gonzales) – March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: the type of cancer people are often too embarrassed to talk about. Colorectal cancer, or cancer of the colon or rectum, is the third most common cancer killer in men and women. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital are partnering to change that.
On Wednesday, March 5, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Gonzales Wal-Mart, 308 N. Airline Hwy, staff members from both Mary Bird Perkins and St. Elizabeth Hospital will be distributing free take-home kits that test for occult, or hidden blood in the stool. Because colorectal cancer starts with benign polyps that often bleed, the FOBT (fecal occult blood test) checks for the presence of hidden blood. Colorectal cancer usually causes no symptoms in its early stages, making screening vitally important. If you are seeing bright red blood with your bowel movements, you should go directly to your doctor.
The primary risk factor for colorectal cancer is age. More than 90% of cases are diagnosed in individuals older than 50. Fifty is the recommended age to begin colorectal cancer screening, unless there is a family history, in which case you should start earlier. Check with your family doctor for the most appropriate screening option for your age and medical history.
The take-home kit, which must be picked up by the user, is not a substitute for a colonoscopy but is just one form of colorectal cancer screening. The gold standard for colorectal cancer screening is the colonoscopy.
No appointment is required to participate in this screening.
About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and its CARE Network
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has been fighting cancer for over 35 years. It is the only independent, nonprofit cancer treatment, education and research facility in Louisiana providing state-of-the-art radiation therapy to all community residents regardless of ability to pay. The Center presently has locations in Baton Rouge, Covington and Hammond with a fourth location soon to be completed in Gonzales – in partnership with St. Elizabeth Hospital.
The mission of the CARE Network (Cancer Support Services, Awareness and Education, Research and Early Detection) is to lessen the burden of cancer in the community. Established in 2002, it is funded by gifts from the community and provides hundreds of programs and services, including free cancer screenings, to thousands of people every year. The research and academic medical physics partnership with MBPCC and Louisiana State University is also funded in part by the CARE Network.
About St. Elizabeth Hospital
Sponsorship by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS) has provided the means to expand and upgrade St. Elizabeth Hospital to meet the needs of the growing area it serves. A 95-bed community hospital with 400+ team members and 100 physicians on staff, St. Elizabeth is one of four FMOLHS hospitals, including Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe and Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette.