HealthBreak | Fecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT)
Colon Cancer, the third most common type of cancer in both men and women, is the second-most common cause of cancer death. "We are missing more than 50 percent of colon cancer cases, until the disease reaches Stage 3 or 4, because people are so reluctant to be screened" explains Jamie Granger, FNP - a family nurse practitioner at Providence Grant Creek Family Medicine. "The chances of a five-year survival is 90 percent, if we can catch it in State 1 or 2; they fall to about 13 percent if we don't catch it by the time it reaches the higher stages." "We'd like to screen for colon cancer early, and catch it early - before it has a chance to spread," Jamie continues. To make early detection easier, patients can now screen themselves for colon cancer with the FIT Test (fecal immunochemical test). "It is an easy test that you can do at home," Jamie says. "It's much more advanced than the previous test - it doesn't have dietary restrictions (like limiting red meat or Vitamin C), and it's just one stool sample to take at home." "FIT Testing is not a replacement for a colonoscopy," Granger cautions. "But, it can be a useful screening tool for the average-risk patient." To learn more, visit http://montana.providence.org
