Screening important
during Colon Cancer Awareness Month
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and Limestone’s Chuck Kelley is doing his part to draw attention to the cause.
Kelley, an electrical/electronics instructor at Northern Maine Community College, was diagnosed with colon cancer, also referred to as colorectal cancer, in the spring of 2007.
“I just went in for my yearly routine physical exam and my doctor noticed something that he felt we should look at a little bit closer. There was some blood that he wanted to find out where it was coming from, so I was scheduled first for an endoscopy and then a colonoscopy after that,” he said. “During that colonoscopy is when the cancer was discovered.
“I was only 46 years old at the time,” said Kelley, noting that the recommended age to start screening is 50. “I credit two people for saving my life — the first is my wife, Jo-Ellen, for convincing me that going to yearly physical exams was a good idea, and the second is my doctor, Dr. Stephen Wood, for being very thorough in his examination.”
Kelley, now 51, said he has no family history of colon cancer and didn’t even have any symptoms.
“I really had no clue at all that I had anything wrong,” he said. “Had I not gone to my physical exam, it may not have been caught in time. When everything was said and done, and after I had surgery, I was at an advanced stage 2, which means the cancer had gone through the colon wall, but not into the surrounding tissue. If it had gotten into the lymph nodes, then it would have been a stage 3 cancer.”
While colon cancer may not be the easiest topic to discuss, Kelley said it’s best to put aside the embarrassment and confront the disease — and screenings — head on.
“I’m not embarrassed about it,” he said. “All cancers will kill you if they’re not treated, so that helps you get over any embarrassment. The treatment for colon cancer is basically surgery … get rid of it and then try to minimize any residual particles that might be in there through chemotherapy.
“I had one-third of my large intestine, or colon, removed and had chemotherapy,” said Kelley, “and it was five years last spring that I’ve been cancer free.”
The number of deaths from colorectal cancer and the number of new cases diagnosed in Maine have been decreasing over the last decade due to screening and improvements in treatment. However, colorectal cancer still remains the second-leading cause of Maine cancer cases and deaths. While many people know that early detection of cancer is important to a positive long-term outcome, some cancers such as colorectal cancer can be prevented. Colorectal cancer starts as a polyp, which is a small collection of abnormal cells, in the colon or rectum. Polyps tend to grow slowly and can take many years before they become cancerous.
There are three types of tests recommended for colorectal screening: the high-sensitivity fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test (FIT), which should be done annually; flexible sigmoidoscopy (every five years), and colonoscopy (every 10 years). For those younger than age 50 who have a family history of colorectal cancer, screening may start earlier.
Kelley said he doesn’t mind sharing his story if it will help just one person be proactive.
“I’ve shared my story in a number of ways,” said Kelley, “and if there’s one thing I could tell people is that early detection saves lives. Don’t think that it can’t happen to you because cancer doesn’t discriminate. Follow through with whatever screening is available and recommended.”
Help is available for Maine residents who meet age, insurance coverage and income qualifications and are in need of breast, cervical or colorectal screening tests. The Maine CDC Breast and Cervical Health and Colorectal Cancer Control Programs can provide information about cancer screening tests, as well as resources for free cancer screenings.
For more information, call 1-800-350-5180 or 287-8068 or log onto www.colonscreenme.org.
