Colon Health — Our StoriesColon Health — Our Stories

The best way to prevent colorectal cancer is to have recommended

screening exams.

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“Colon screening…that’s what it takes to save lives. That’s how they do it. And there’s no reason why you should be embarrassed … just go on and do it.”

—George, colon cancer survivor from Metlakatla

why have a Colorectal

screeningexam?

u Prevents cancer by finding and removing polyps (abnormal growths in the colon or rectum) before they become cancer.

u If there is already cancer, screening can find it early when it can best be treated.

The words colorectal cancer mean cancer of the colon or cancer of the rectum.

“I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that we do need to have early screening.” Colorectal — Henry, colon cancer

survivor from Nome

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Choose colorectal screening

to stay healthy.

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who should have a

Colorectal Exam?

Men and women start colorectal screening at age 50.

Men and women, beginning at age 50, have a sigmoidoscopy every five years or a colonoscopy every ten years, even if you feel fine. If your mother, father, sister, brother, or child had colorectal cancer, begin screening with colonoscopy at age 40 or younger.

Eleanor and Alfred talk about colorectal screening.

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“I told my daughter that she needs to go and get the early colon screening and if she wants me to go with her I will go with her and support her as much as she has supported me all these years.”

— Bunny, rectal cancer survivor from Bethel

Colorectal Exam?

What increases your risk of having colorectal cancer?

uBeingage50orolder.

uHavingafamilyhistory ofcolorectalcancer.

uHavinghadpolyps orcolorectalcancer.

uHavingulcerativecolitis orCrohn’sdisease,where thecolonisinflamedover alongtime.

uBeingoverweight.

uUsingtobacco.

uDrinkingalcohol.

uHavingdiabetes.

Bunny supports her

daughter, Dolly to have a colon screening exam.

what is a

Colorectal Exam?

A colorectal screening exam, either a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy exam,

looks inside a person’s colon for small growths called polyps to remove them

before they become cancer.6

Alfred reviews the consent form with his health care provider.

Sigmoidoscopy (SIG-moid-OSS-ko-pee)

uForthisexamthehealthcareproviderputsa thin,flexible,lightedtubeintotherectumandlooks atthelower part of the colon.

uThisexamisusuallydoneevery5years.

Colonoscopy (KO-lun-OSS-ko-pee)

uThisexamissimilartoasigmoidoscopy,except thehealthcareproviderusesalongerthin,flexible, lightedtubeandlooksattherectumandall thecolon.

uThisexamisusuallydoneevery10years.

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“There was no pain at all. I didn’t feel anything.” Alfred takes good care of his health by having a colorectal exam.

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Colorectal Exams:

uDoneataclinicor hospital.

uBeforetheexam,you usealaxativeorenema tocleanoutthecolon.

uDuringtheexam,you maybegivenmedicine tohelpyourelaxand becomfortable.

uDuringthecolonoscopy exam,yourhealthcare providermayremove polypsorsmallpiecesof tissue,calledabiopsy.

uAspeciallytrained doctorcalledapathologist examinesthepolypor tissueunderamicroscope tolookforpre-canceror cancercells.

“It’s important to get checked...I know some things the doctor can check for can be embarrassing. Cancer is some-thing I thought I’d never get at this age. And here I am talking about it.”

— Henry, colon cancer survivor from Nome

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“I was so amazed. I was able to see the inside of my colon on a little TV. I am very happy that I had my colonoscopy because they took out two polyps that could have turned to cancer. And I encourage everyone 50 or older to have the screening.”

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— Rose, Community Health Practitioner from Chevak

“A man stays healthy by going out on the tundra...Knowing the movement of the water and the sky and the birds and the seals. A man goes out hunting far away into the sea and catches a seal and brings it back. And we do this not only for ourselves, not only for our family but for the community.”

—Earl, craftsman from Chevak

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is there anything i can do to

Decrease My Risk of developing colorectal cancer?

“I think it’s really important to keep eating our traditional foods, like fish, moose, caribou, whatever is in our region. Berries, lots of berries, like salmon berries, cloud berries...I think our ancestors were very healthy because they ate a good natural diet and they worked hard.”—Alice, from Kenny Lake

This booklet is dedicated to her life and passion for sharing cancer information and family traditions.

is there anything i can do to

Decrease My Risk of developing colorectal cancer?

uStayactive.Moveyourbody.

uMaintainahealthyweight.

uEathealthy.

uChoosetobetobaccofree.

uAvoidexposureto tobaccosmoke.

uChoosenottodrinkalcohol.

uGetscreened.

Have a colorectal exam when you are healthy to stay healthy.

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Ifnotfoundearlycolorectalcancermaycausesymptoms.

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Colon cancer often starts quietly, with no warning. Don’t wait for signs or symptoms!

“Get it early. Go see the doctor and tell the doctor every symptom that you have. Don’t leave anything out. And don’t wait.”

— Bunny, rectal cancer survivor from Bethel

important

“We’re the expert about how we feel. If there’s anything out of the ordinary, like pain, blood, whatever, knowing that is important. And then making sure you follow through by seeing a doctor or a nurse. If there’s any kind of symptoms that you are not sure about, it’s important to ask.”

— Henry, colon cancer survivor from Nome

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uBloodinyourbowel movement.

uDiarrhea,constipation orfeelinglikethebowel doesnotemptycompletely.

uFrequentgaspains,bloating, fullnessand/orcramping.

uAlwaystired.

uLosingweightfornoreason.

important Possiblesignsofcolorectalcancer:

Thesemayalsobesignsofotherhealthproblems.Seeyourhealthcareproviderforanexamandevaluation.

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What is colon cancer?

uColoncancerstartsinthecolon,alsocalledthe largeintestine.

Colon(KO-lun)A5to6foottube,connectedtothesmallintestineatoneendandtherectumattheotherend.

Thecolonremoveswaterandgetsridofwaste.Madeof4parts:ascending,transverse,descending,andsigmoid.

The best way to prevent colorectal cancer is to have screening exams

as recommended.

What is rectal cancer?

uRectalcancerstarts intherectum.

Rectum(REK-tum) Thelowest5to6inchesofthedigestivetract,wheresolidwaste(stool,poop)isstoredbeforeleavingthebodythroughtheanus.

What causes colorectal cancer?

uTheexactcauseofcolorectalcancerisnotclear.

uColorectalcancerusuallystartsfrompolypsin thecolon.Apolypisanabnormalgrowthinsidethe colon.Overtime,somepolypscanturnintocancer.

uHavingafamilyhistoryofcoloncancerorhaving hadpolypsinthepastincreasesyourrisk.

Healthy Colon Colon With Polyp

Talk with your health care

provider today.

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Understanding New WordsAbdomen (AB-doh-men)The area of the body that holds the pancreas, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, and other body organs.

Anus (AY- nus) The opening at the end of the rectum where solid waste (stool, bowel movement, poop) passes from the rectum to the outside of the body.

Benign tumor (bee- NINE)An abnormal growth that is not cancer and does not spread from one part of the body to another. It is usually not dangerous or life threatening.

Biopsy (BY-op-see)The removal of a sample of tissue that is examined under a microscope to look for cancer cells.

Bowel (BOW-ul)The long tube-shaped organ in the abdomen that completes digestion; there is both a small and large bowel, also called small and large intestine.

CancerA word used to describe more than 100 different diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control or order.

Colon (KO-lun)A five to six foot tube-like organ, also called the large intestine or large bowel, connected to the small intestine at one end and the rectum at the other end. The colon removes water and gets rid of waste, stuff your body can’t use. The colon has four parts: ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and sigmoid colon.

Colonoscopy (KO-lun-OSS-ko-pee)A procedure in which a health care provider looks inside all of the colon and rectum using a thin, flexible, lighted tube called a colonoscope. During a colonoscopy, the health care provider can remove polyps.

Colorectal (KO-lur-EK-tal)A combination of the words colon and rectum to refer to those parts of the lower digestive tract; colon + rectal = colorectal.

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Crohn’s disease (kronz)Chronic inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, especially the small intestine and colon.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) (Fam-EE-lee-uhl ad-in-O-mut-us Pah-li-PO-sis)A very rare, inherited condition that causes hundreds of polyps in the colon; nearly everyone with FAP develops colorectal cancer before the age of 50.

Family historyInformation about diseases, disorders and illnesses in a person’s blood relatives.

Inflammatory bowel diseaseA disease that causes irritation and ulcers in the intestinal tract. Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common inflammatory bowel diseases.

Large intestineThe tube-like organ, also called the colon, that extends from the small intestine at one end to the rectum at the other end. See colon.

Laxative (LAX-uh-tive)A substance that causes the bowels to get rid of solid waste or poop.

Malignant (MAH-lig-nant)A tumor that is cancer and has the ability to spread to other parts of the body.

Metastasis (meh- TAS-ta-sis)The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another part of the body.

Polyp (POL-ip)An abnormal growth inside the colon or rectum. These growths can sometimes turn into cancer if they are not removed.

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Rectum (REK-tum) The lowest end of the digestive tract located between the sigmoid colon and the anus; solid waste (stool, poop) is stored here before it is passed out of the body through the anus.

Risk factor Something in an individual, her or his lifestyle or environment which increases the chance of developing cancer. Risk factors for cancer include: age, family history, use of tobacco, poor nutrition, obesity, exposure to cancer-causing agents, and some genetic changes.

Sigmoidoscopy (SIG-moid-OSS-ko-pee)A procedure in which a health care provider looks inside the rectum and the lower part of the colon (sigmoid colon) through a lighted tube.

Small intestineThe part of the digestive tract between the stomach and the large intestine, approximately 20 feet in length. Food is partly digested here by juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine.

StomachA muscular, pouch-like organ that helps food digest by mixing it with digestive juices and turning it into a thin liquid. The stomach stores food you have eaten, breaks it down into a liquid mixture, and slowly empties that liquid into the small intestine.

Tumor (TOO-mer)Mass of tissue that grows from abnormal cell division. Tumors have no useful body function. Tumors may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).

Ulcerative colitis (UL-sur-ay-tuv KO-LY-tis)A chronic inflammation of the colon that may cause ulcers in the lining of the colon. Symptoms may include: abdominal pain, cramps, frequent diarrhea with pus, blood or mucus.

Helpful Resources to Learn More

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American Cancer Society (ACS) www.cancer.org1-800-227-2345

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal

National Cancer Institute www.cancer.gov1-800-422-6237

ANTHC-CHAP4000AmbassadorDriveAnchorage,Alaska99508Phone:907-729-2427Fax:9907-729-2447mcueva@anthc.org©2008,2012

FundedBy:uAmericanCancerSociety MentoredResearchAwarduCentersforDiseaseControland

Prevention(CDC).CRCHealthCommunicationsProject

uCDC5U58DP002061uCDC5U58DP002032uNCIR25CA95514

Thank you to all the doll makers whose artistry added to the beauty of this booklet.

Tell a friend, start at age 50 to have colorectal screening exams. Begin at age 40 or younger,

if you have a family history of colorectal cancer.

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