ABC Columbia
Five Points fountain goes blue to raise awareness about colon cancer
WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – The Lexington Medical Center Foundation turned the fountain blue in Columbia’s Five Points neighborhood.
The sponsorship is designed to raise awareness about colorectal cancer: March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Each year, nearly 2,000 South Carolinians are diagnosed with colon cancer and approximately 800 die from the disease.
The best way to screen for colon cancer is a colonoscopy, which is an examination of the large intestine using a lighted tube.
Colonoscopy is among the most powerful tools in clinical medicine, because of its excellent potential to identify and permit removal of polyps before they turn into cancer.
In general, doctors recommend that people undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years beginning at age 50. African-Americans should begin screening at age 45.
Early detection and intervention can reduce mortality from colon cancer by up to 90%.