PHX Reporter

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Banner Health Community Hospital in Torrington is emphasizing the importance of prevention and early detection. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states it is one of the most preventable cancers with routine screening.

In Wyoming, colorectal cancer rates are particularly concerning for those under 50. Approximately one in ten new diagnoses occur in individuals aged 50 or younger, with three out of four patients having no family history of the disease.

Access to screening is crucial in Goshen County due to its rural nature and limited specialist availability. Dr. Micah Price, a board-certified family medicine physician at Community Hospital, has specialized training in colonoscopies. This specialization allows more local patients to receive screenings without traveling long distances.

There is often reluctance towards colonoscopies due to temporary discomfort. However, delaying or avoiding screening can lead to serious consequences such as invasive surgeries and prolonged treatments.

Michelle Miller, a Banner employee from Morrill, Nebraska, had her first colonoscopy at age 50 with no issues found. Despite being advised to return for a follow-up after ten years, she did not do so until age 63 when she was diagnosed with cecum cancer that had spread to her liver.

“If I would have done my colonoscopy at 60, I question if I would have found it and it wouldn’t have spread to my liver like it did,” she said. “The beauty of it all is early detection and that, to me, is the importance of colonoscopies.”

Dr. Price aims to raise awareness about colorectal cancer: “Colonoscopies have a bad reputation,” he stated. “The prep is a big hindrance for people because they imagine they are going to be staying very close to the bathroom all day long."

MacKinsey Sides from Banner Health Clinic Torrington mentions alternatives like virtual colonoscopy using low-dose CT imaging and Cologuard—a noninvasive stool-based test—for average-risk patients.

For further information on colorectal cancer screening at Community Hospital in Torrington operated by Banner Health—one of the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare systems—call (307) 532-2107 or visit bannerhealth.com/torrington.