MINNEAPOLIS — Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death with 1 in 20 people getting it, and of those who do get it 1 in 3 die from it.
The silver lining here is you have control over this through prevention.
Sandy Muschenheim had pushed back her colonoscopy a few times. No symptoms. She was 52.
"I went in for my baseline screening colonoscopy and I already had stage 3 cancer," Muschenheim said.
She's had six major surgeries and seven years of chemotherapy treatments. She is currently disease free.
"If I hadn't had my colonoscopy I probably would not be alive right now," Muschenheim said.
Muschenheim went on to start the Minnesota Colorectal Cancer Research Foundation with the goal of raising money and awareness to fight the disease.
"We need better treatments, especially when we are getting more and more younger people diagnosed with this disease," Muschenheim said.
The American Cancer Society recently changed its recommendation for screening from 50 years old down to 45.
The reason, colorectal cancers are increasing by 1 to 2 percent each year for people under 50.
There are four ways to screen.
1. Fecal blood tests, you can do at home every year.
2. A cologaurd test, also done at home, done every three years.
3. Colonoscopy, at the doc's office where they can remove polyps to prevent cancer. Every 10 years.
4. CT Colonography, done with a ct scanner every three to five years.