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6. Fatigue and Weakness
The Power of Prevention: Screening and Trends
The narrative of colorectal cancer has changed drastically in the last five years. Because of the rise in “early-onset” cases like Van Der Beek’s, the recommended age for initial screenings was lowered from 50 to 45 in many regions, including the United States.
The tragedy of the disease is that it is one of the most preventable forms of cancer. If a colonoscopy identifies a polyp, the physician can often remove it during the same procedure, effectively stopping the cancer before it ever starts. For those diagnosed at Stage 1, the five-year survival rate is approximately 91%. However, once the cancer reaches Stage 4 and spreads to distant organs like the liver or lungs, that rate drops significantly.
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