Women’s lunch highlights cancer screening

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer in women and is also the third most commonly diagnosed women’s cancer.

To recognize October as Women’s Cancer Awareness Month the society hosted their annual Lunch with Friends event. Its primary goal is to teach the benefits of colorectal cancer screening and to encourage women to monitor their bodies.

“Understanding really gives us power to educate ourselves and to do the right thing,” said Annamea Perry, manager of the screening program for colorectal cancer at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency.

Many people have been impacted by the incurable disease.  Janet Thompson not only fought breast cancer herself for 17 years, but also lost her daughter to spinal cord cancer, brother to kidney cancer, and husband to lung cancer. This is why she feels screening is so important.

“I am very very much in agreement that this colorectal screening be done by everybody,” said Thompson.

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Thompson said since her life was impacted by cancer in 1976 she’s seen great progress in the medical field in regards to cancer.

“We have come a long long way in treatment, in diagnosis, in care and early detection,” Thompson said. “Our doctors are finally catching on to early detection also.”

Perry said colorectal screening is more than a routine test, it can get rid of cancer.

“We can remove the polyps and adenomas early in the disease,” said Perry. Then “There’s a very, very good survival rate if the cancer is caught early, and so early detection is really important.”

Perry said screening programs are fairly new to the province. Saskatchewan started colorectal screening in 2009 and Prince Albert Parkland Health District launched their program in 2013.

Perry said if you have a family history of colorectal cancer it is a good idea to get screened. Aging also puts people at higher risk. She explained the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency through the ministry of health screens all people between 50 to 75 because of this.

The society recommends if you are in this age range you should be screened every two years with a home based Fit test Kit.

Arlene Just said if you think something is wrong it’s a good idea to get screened. Just has been breast cancer-free for six years.

Thompson agreed, saying you are your best doctor.

“I just hope everybody listens to their own body, your body will tell you if there’s something wrong,” Thompson said.

Just used her brother as an example. The general surgeon felt different and made sure to get checked.

“He diagnosed himself as something not right in his bowel when he was in his 30s and so he had some polyps removed,” Just said.

Cancer changed the way people spoke to Just. She has some advice for anybody speaking to someone with cancer.

“If they want to speak about their cancer they will and it’s important to remember that you are speaking to the person and the person is an individual – they’re not cancer,” Just said.

kbruch@panow.com

On Twitter: @KaylaBruch1