Colorectal Cancer: How Screenings Save Lives

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, an observance dedicated to encouraging patients, survivors and caregivers to share their stories, advocate for colorectal cancer prevention and raise awareness about the importance of early detection. It’s also a great opportunity to schedule your recommended colorectal cancer screening.

Clinicians at UHS suggest everyone age 45 and older should be screened for colon cancer, with some being encouraged to get screened earlier if there is a family history of the cancer, as it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

For UHS employee and patient Dawn McClenon, this recommendation ultimately saved her life. Dawn had already been diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and was managing it through medication. However, she began to experience issues with evacuating stool that bothered her for several months. When the GI Lab contacted her to schedule an appointment with Noelle Tomazic, NP in late April 2024 for a medication refill, Dawn took the opportunity to mention the symptoms she was experiencing.

Noelle listened to Dawn’s concerns and asked about her family history, which can be helpful for providers when making a diagnosis. Family histories offer insight into potential chronic health issues that might indicate a genetic predisposition. Dawn shared that her maternal grandfather had colon cancer, and her mother had pre-cancerous polyps detected during her scopes. With this information, along with Dawn being just two years under the recommended screening age, Noelle recommended adding a colonoscopy to her scheduled upper scope.

“Honestly, I was hesitant with the colonoscopy because it wasn’t on my radar to have it done for another two years when I turn 45,” said Dawn. ”However, Noelle talked me through the procedure and said it wouldn’t hurt, and given my family history, we should just be safe doing it when I’m already under for the other scope.”

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer screening for adults aged 45 to 75. Individuals at an increased risk of getting colorectal cancer should talk to their doctor to determine the appropriate starting age for screening, which test is right for them and how often they should be tested. For most people, screening should begin around 45 and continue at regular intervals. However, your provider may recommend for you be tested earlier or more frequently than others if you have:

• Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
• A personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps.
• A genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).

Dawn’s procedure was originally scheduled in Walton for February 2025, but since her symptoms persisted, Noelle encouraged her to schedule an earlier appointment at the Binghamton office. Dawn was able to get a colonoscopy scheduled for August 2024 with Toseef Javaid, MD.

A few days after the procedure, she received her pathology results. Dr. Javaid removed five polyps during the colonoscopy, including a cancerous polyp. Dawn was referred to Upstate Colorectal Surgery and Broome Medical Oncology for further evaluation. She underwent blood tests and a CT scan to check to ensure the cancer cells didn’t spread from their original site to other parts of the body. The panel at Upstate Cancer Center confirmed when Dr. Javaid took out the polyp, he successfully removed all of it, with clean edges and no signs of growth. They also discovered that the issue that originally prompted her to seek care turned out to be unrelated to the findings.

Dawn was then told she had stage 1 colon cancer, but they had caught it early. The cancerous polyp was considered stage 1 based on the pathology and sample of the polyp that had been removed. Upstate had ordered follow-up tests with repeat CT and lab work. She last had that work done in January 2025 and everything came back clear; the scope showed the scar was still flat and had no regrowth.

“I owe everything to Noelle. She had been there every step of the way, asking how I was doing, what was next and what my results were from my other tests,” Dawn said. “She is the kind of provider you want in your corner, and I will always be grateful for everything she did for me.”

Now, Dawn plans to continue to have regular colonoscopies as a preventative measure, with her next one scheduled in 6 months.

“Throughout this whole process, I have learned to listen to your body. If something doesn’t seem right or normal, say something. Screenings are important whether you have symptoms or not. They are there to catch early detection; in my case, I was under the screening age but said something to start the conversation,” encouraged Dawn. “Had I not mentioned my issues evacuating, I would have waited another two years and would have had a different outcome entirely.”

Screening Choices

Colon cancer is often referred to as the silent killer because symptoms don’t typically appear until the cancer has advanced. Two out of three people diagnosed with colon cancer have no family history of the disease. However, when detected and treated early, the five-year survival rate for colon cancer is 90%. Colon cancer is largely preventable, as nearly all cases begin as polyps, and removing these polyps can prevent the cancer from developing in the future.

There are several screening options, any one of which can be a true lifesaver. A colonoscopy is widely regarded as the best option and is recommended once every 10 years. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society, a colonoscopy can detect pre-cancerous polyps which can be removed during the screening procedure. Typically, the colonoscopy is performed under sedation, in a hospital or at an outpatient center.

There are also two common alternatives to a colonoscopy: 

• A stool DNA test is an at-home test that requires no prep and is recommended every three years if the prior screening came back normal.
• A fecal immunochemical or fecal occult blood test, recommended yearly, which is another at-home test requiring no prep.

It’s important for everyone to stay up-to-date with vital health screenings, tests and procedures. A primary care provider or specialist can make a referral f