McLaren Health Care Village

Great Lakes Cancer Institute Screening Program Seeks to Save Lives Through Early Detection

The Great Lakes Cancer Institute at McLaren Health Care Village at Clarkston is distributing free at-home colorectal cancer screening kits during March – National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Last year all Great Lakes Cancer Institute locations combined distributed nearly 3,500 kits statewide, making the screening program the largest of its kind in Michigan.

The screening kits are being made available to people age 50 and older. The painless test takes just a few minutes and can be performed in the privacy and convenience of your own home. A kit can be requested by calling 1.866.696.GLCI (4524).

GLCI hopes the free screening opportunity will encourage individuals to take advantage of the life-saving benefits of testing early and often for colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum) is the third most common cancer in both men and women and is expected to kill almost 50,000 Americans this year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Beginning at age 50, both men and women at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should be regularly screened. Early detection saves lives by finding cancer at a stage when treatment is more effective and the chance for a full recovery is very high. In many cases, screening can prevent colorectal cancer altogether by identifying precancerous polyps that can then be surgically removed.

“Colorectal cancer screening may be unpleasant to talk about, but we know it saves lives,” said Karla Grunow, Director of the Great Lakes Cancer Institute-McLaren. “At an early localized stage, the five-year survival rate of colorectal cancer is 90 percent.”

Deaths from colorectal cancer have decreased over the past two decades, due in part to increased screening and awareness. However, only about half of Americans ages 50 or older have been tested recently. In February, an expert panel convened by the National Institutes of Health drew attention to low screening rates. The panel suggested that offering patients different testing options and reducing out-of-pocket costs could increase screening rates.

Age is the greatest risk factor for colorectal cancer with more than 90 percent of cases diagnosed in people age 50 and older. Additional risk factors include a family history of the disease and lifestyle-related factors such as obesity, smoking and a diet high in red meat.