Fifty Plus (50+) - Tony Snow, and colonoscopy evangelism

Today's death of Tony Snow, Pres. Bush's former press secretary and Fox News commentator, is sobering. He was 53 and died of colon cancer, which he had fought the last several years. He had a couple of young children.

Because we discuss it here with some frequency, we know the value of a colonoscopy in preventing colon cancer. During a colonoscopy, the doctor can remove pre-cancerous polyps which will prevent the disease. Almost all colon cancer is preventable - no polyps, no cancers. Everyone over 50 should have a colonoscopy, like it or not.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men, after lung cancer, and the third leading cause of death for women, after lung and breast cancers. About 10% of all cancer deaths are the result of colon cancer, and almost all of them are avoidable.

Lack of physical activity is one of the strongest risk factors for colon cancer, so I suspect that participants in this forum are less likely to come down with it than average. Because we've talked about this before, I know many of you have had your test, and I don't want to preach to the choir, but I want to propose something else. Make it a point this month to convince five people to get the test. Become a colonoscopy evangelist. Bring it up in conversation with friends and coworkers and push them to get tested. It's not the most pleasant topic, and not the most pleasant test, but too many people avoid it because they think it is worse than it really is. Take it from me - colon cancer is a worthless way to die.

More info here (http://patient.cancerconsultants.com/colon_cancer_information.aspx), here (http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/colon-and-rectal), and here (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/lrn/lrn_0.asp).

I wholeheartedly agree - I had a colonscopy 3 years ago and I plan to have one every 10 years on the doctor's recommendation. My wife had on 2 years ago. Both of the results were a clean bill of health.

I have talked to a number of co-workers on the necessity to have a colonscopy performed along with a prostate exam. Unfortunately the male macho personality kicked in and all I got was a "it can't happen to me" comment. I will keep trying.

... and all I got was a "it can't happen to me" comment. I will keep trying.

Precisely my attitude until it happened to me at age 47. Use Snow's death at a young age as a wedge to get your friends moving.

My nephew died at 49 after battling colon cancer for nine years. GET THAT TEST...

Kerlenbach, if you got it at 47 and Snow died at 53 after fighting it for several years, is 50 really soon enough?

Kerlenbach, did you have to have any colon removed?
My grandfather had colon cancer many years ago and had a small section removed. He lived into his 90's with no recurrence and died a very smart, clear minded, happy man whose son (my dad) raised 10 boys and three girls.
My mother and father both died of cancer but not colon cancer. So sad.

I am so happy for you that you caught it. Most of my older brothers and sisters have had a colonoscopy and all were O.K. but I have not yet had one.

As far as getting your first test at age 50, it depends on family history. I got my first one at around 42 years old.

I am now on a three year schedule, due to having polyps removed last time. I turn 52 next week.

I wonder if colon cancer is number two for non-smokers. It might well be number one in that case...

I go regularly because I'm prone to grow polyps. Every two years I seem to have grown a new one.:wtf:
I'm due again in September.

I am now on a three year schedule, due to having polyps removed last time.



Yeah, me too.

If you haven't had one, the actual test was no big deal. Since I ride a trike I could even ride afterwards.

+1 Test is no big deal, or even a small deal, it is really nothing.

Well its something. they stick insert that thing going the wrong way on a one way street:D Seriously I didn't like it at all the stories my co-workers said about not feeling a thing and not remembering was a lie. Pain killers and happy drugs don't work well on me so I did feel some discomfort but it wasn't agony and it didn't kill me and the alternative is worse. I can thank my sister for alerting me to the fact that when she had it done they found several polyps and that it is hereditary so I went. One polyp, the doc said see ya in about 5 years. Put all the macho stuff aside it can happen to you and it does or else nobody would die from this stuff which like other posters said is so preventable with early detection.

FWIW, My doc advises to not be sucked in by TV commercials about products that prevent polyps from forming. They're a scam, he says. I tend to believe him.

Sad to learn about Tony Snow. The CNN article said his colon was removed after his original diagnosis. His entire colon??? Gosh, how often is that necessary, and in such a young person. Makes me wonder if there were symptoms that he ignored.

A local long-time news anchor died of colon cancer last year. It stunned viewers as he was beloved by many. He was not sick long, just a few weeks, before he died. I couldn't help but think - if only he'd had a colonoscopy.

To those who haven't done it yet -- just do it!! It's not that bad. Even the prep wasn't that bad. I recommend doing that on a day off so you can just hang around the house. I say that because a friend told me that she'll do the prep after work next time instead of taking a day off. I'm having trouble imagining going through an entire day at work without eating, then doing the prep after I get home from work and hoping and praying I'll be sufficiently cleaned out so I can get a decent night's sleep.:eek:

I've had regular physicals, have had regular check-ups with my doctor, have had some problems treated, had X-rays & prostate checks. Have had three stress tests. But cannot remember ever having a colonoscopy. Also cannot my doctor ever recommending it.

Pain killers and happy drugs don't work well on me so I did feel some discomfort but it wasn't agony and it didn't kill me and the alternative is worse.

The drugs they gave me the first time made me very agitated and aggressive, according to the doc. Now, I get the good kind that put me totally out (I require an anesthesiologist), but I don't feel anything.

I just had my the 4th colonoscopy in 8 years (I was on the two year plan), as I grew the bad kind of polyp, but this last time I had one of the good polyps, so I go back in 5 years :).

One thing my doc told me was to tell my kids to get tested in their early 30's. He suggested that recurring polyp growth may be hereditary, so my kids have been warned and understand the importance of testing.

Oh yea - both of my doctors suggested high doses of vitamin D-3 and calcium as a preventative measure for the development of colon cancer. Asprin, they suggest, does not help prevent cancer, but may lead to early detection of problems as the polyps/tumors may bleed earlier due to the effects of the asprin.

+1 Test is no big deal, or even a small deal, it is really nothing.

While I understand the importance of the test, having something go five or six feet up there, is something!

But cannot remember ever having a colonoscopy. Also cannot my doctor ever recommending it.

Then why not call your Doc and see if you can get one. The sooner, the better.

I have had two, first one found a polyp, the second one was clear.

Lost my Dad to cancer 23 years ago, not colon. My Mom had breast cancer 6 years ago and is going strong at 84.

Don't delay. The hardest part is the prep. The actual exam can be a breeze and a great nap.

So, did Tony Snow's cancer result from his failure to get regular colonoscopies? Or did he die because his was aggressive and recurring? They took part (all) of his colon the first time around, and I'm guessing that he got quite regular checkups after that.

I'm not arguing that regular testing isn't necessary, but am not certain about the claim that the disease can be prevented through regular testing. I just lost my brother-in-law to cancer (not colon), and, as I sit here trying to make sense of it all (I cannot), I have to conclude that your time is your time.

He did not abuse his body, but died anyway.

Just another viewpoint.

Caruso

I've had 6 colonoscopies in the last 11 years, due for one again now. My dad had colon cancer at 39, his sister and brother both had it as well. After each procedure, until dad passed last year, I'd call him up just to tell him "Got a sore butt dad, thanks for the genes!"

The drugs they gave me the first time made me very agitated and aggressive, according to the doc. Now, I get the good kind that put me totally out (I require an anesthesiologist), but I don't feel anything.

It is fairly routine to give patients injectable anesthesia that puts them in a deep sleep, for lack of better terminology. It's a fast acting preparation that goes in your IV. You're only out a few minutes, and are pretty lucid by the time you go home---more lucid than with out-patient surgery. All gastroenterologists can do this, and why they wouldn't offer is a mystery to me. I didn't think that the procedure was done in-office.

If any of you have any fear about the procedure, ask the gastroenterologist about anesthesia. I'm 57, and had my baseline at 35, and had one every few years since. I actually don't like the new 10 year recommendations, and think it's more about insurance than medicine. As I gather, this is a fast moving cancer. I like every 3-5 years, but I don't have money to force doctors to give me the best medicine. :rolleyes:

Some people have mentioned pain??? I have never had any, and was not aware this is usual.

While I understand the importance of the test, having something go five or six feet up there, is something!

Hmmm. Going six feet under is the big deal we're trying to avoid.

If you don't remember ever having one, and your doctor has not recommended one, and you are 50 or over, get a new doctor.

As far as any discomfort, I do not remember either of my tests. They gave me enough anesthetic to put me in what they call twilight. You are not asleep, but you are not wide awake either.

On the first one, I asked the doctor when he was going to start, and he told me he was already done...

Get the pills for the prep, rather than drinking endless amounts of liquid. That would be my only caution.

As far as fate and your time being up, so many cancers are now treatable if caught early. With my family history (all cancer), I would rather catch it early and deal with it, than let it advance and have it deal with me...

I watched the video while they were doing mine....it wasn't that uncomfortable, especially after the drugs. :p It was pretty cool, though.

Caruso - Snow might have had a type that was not preventable by colonscopy. His mother died from colon cancer, and i understand he had colitis or other serious colon trouble before his diagnosis. There is a rare type of colon cancer that is genetic, but most of the time removing polyps will prevent it.

Insurance usually won't cover a colonscopy until you hit 50. I recommend inventing symptoms and asking your docotr to prescribe one if you're under 50. I was diagnosed at a physical for my 47th birthday, and probably had a polyp since about age 42 or 43. I lost most of the descending colon and rectum, and then about a third of my liver in ensuing surgeries. Next week will mark two years since the end of the second time through chemo.

Insurance usually won't cover a colonscopy until you hit 50. I recommend inventing symptoms and asking your doctor to prescribe one if you're under 50.
I suspect insurance is more likely to cover it if you have a family history (and/or an insistent doctor). I have multiple colon cancer deaths on my mother's side, and have been getting colonoscopies since I was 40; there are polyps about 1/2 the time, and so I'm usually on a 2-3 year schedule (and, dang, this is the year)

Sad to learn about Tony Snow. The CNN article said his colon was removed after his original diagnosis. His entire colon??? Gosh, how often is that necessary, and in such a young person. Makes me wonder if there were symptoms that he ignored.



As I understand it Tony had chronic ulcerative colitis. He fell outside ordinary screening parameters and should have been in a much more aggressive surveillance protocol. If a colon cancer is diagnosed in the context of UC the entire colon is removed.

.....Get the pills for the prep, rather than drinking endless amounts of liquid. That would be my only caution.....

+100 on the pills. It might make a difference who the doctor is, since it seems like each one has a preferred prep.

+100 on the pills. It might make a difference who the doctor is, since it seems like each one has a preferred prep.
My doc mentioned the pill, but said in his opinion the pill did not clean as well as the fluid, so I always opt for the fluid prep. The fluid is really not that bad at all, and I would hate to have something missed by the doc because I was not cleaned out as well as I should have been.

I wholeheartedly agree - I had a colonscopy 3 years ago and I plan to have one every 10 years on the doctor's recommendation. My wife had on 2 years ago. Both of the results were a clean bill of health.

I have talked to a number of co-workers on the necessity to have a colonscopy performed along with a prostate exam. Unfortunately the male macho personality kicked in and all I got was a "it can't happen to me" comment. I will keep trying.

Even if you get the tough guy "it can't happen to me" comment you still planted the seed. Who knows
what the guy does the next time he sees his doctor?

Caruso - Snow might have had a type that was not preventable by colonscopy. His mother died from colon cancer, and i understand he had colitis or other serious colon trouble before his diagnosis. There is a rare type of colon cancer that is genetic, but most of the time removing polyps will prevent it.

Insurance usually won't cover a colonscopy until you hit 50. I recommend inventing symptoms and asking your docotr to prescribe one if you're under 50. I was diagnosed at a physical for my 47th birthday, and probably had a polyp since about age 42 or 43. I lost most of the descending colon and rectum, and then about a third of my liver in ensuing surgeries. Next week will mark two years since the end of the second time through chemo.


Exactly! If you got a good doctor (like I do) all he needs is a "change in bowell habits" to order the
test and most insurence will cover it under these circumstances. Who doesn't have a little diarea once
in a while? That's all that is necessary.

I They gave me enough anesthetic to put me in what they call twilight. You are not asleep, but you are not wide awake either.

On the first one, I asked the doctor when he was going to start, and he told me he was already done...

Get the pills for the prep, rather than drinking endless amounts of liquid. That would be my only caution.



I had the same, "When are you going to start" experience.
Yes, thank goodness for the pills.
Twilight: that's the word. I couldn't remember. You are breathing on your own (some people dread the breathing tube, and I think it is safer without.) and are just a deeper level than sleep. Some people in fact probably do sleep that soundly on their own.:lol: Especially after a good meal and a few glasses of wine. In this case, there is no hangover. :lol:

As I understand it Tony had chronic ulcerative colitis. He fell outside ordinary screening parameters and should have been in a much more aggressive surveillance protocol. If a colon cancer is diagnosed in the context of UC the entire colon is removed.

Very interesting. Thank you.
I often think that the rich among us always have better health care and better doctors.

So, did Tony Snow's cancer result from his failure to get regular colonoscopies? Or did he die because his was aggressive and recurring?

I'm not arguing that regular testing isn't necessary, but am not certain about the claim that the disease can be prevented through regular testing. I just lost my brother-in-law to cancer (not colon), and, as I sit here trying to make sense of it all (I cannot), I have to conclude that your time is your time.

He did not abuse his body, but died anyway.

Caruso

First, my heart goes out to you for the death of your brother, and I can understand your skepticism. As to Tony Snow, I always want more details when a person dies, so I can try to sidestep the same experience, whether the cause of death is murder, accident or disease. Consequently, I confess to you that I am an advocate for early detection through testing.

Yet, I can share your skepticism. I know that the occurrence of cancer in a family can be a complete mystery. If it occurs in a person with no apparent risk factors or behavior that we know contributes to the disease, we can't understand it. I have a pretty good family history for longevity and used to think that protected me, but I know it doesn't. The health of one generation does not predict an improvement in the next. Knowing that genetics is not always predictable does give me comfort that just because "Uncle Bill" had something doesn't mean I'll get it. My family's health is a indicator but not a death sentence or a "get out of jail free," card. We need look no further than Tim Russet's father outliving his son to witness that.

You're right, disease can't be prevented through regular testing. Yet, regular testing can alert a person to danger signs, to then make a choice about employing the "preventive" measures that we know of. This is the same thing that happens when a blood test shows high cholesterol or high blood pressure. You know the test can't prevent either of those, but they can alert us to potential, life-threatening factors. We can then take measures to try to prevent the disease by making life-style changes and medication, if we so choose. Another example is getting the skin checked for moles that could become cancerous. We remove them, we remove the risk. At least for a while, sometimes forever.

We can't catch everything and everything is not curable. Sometimes it does feel like a crap shoot with no sense at all. I feel that keenly when a young, strapping athlete falls to sudden death. Seems like the damn little genes are just lurking there with something no one seems to be able to predict or stop. No rational reason. I'm with you on that. It is particularly hard to make any sense of losing someone we love. What sense CAN be found in something like that, really? At most, all we can do sometimes is reconcile ourselves to what happened and try to go on. Easier to say than do.

In times like that, I try not to give up or become fatalistic that it doesn't matter what I do. I hope you won't give up, and will do things to take care of yourself. I hope I have not offended you with anything I've said. Only you can determine how to manage the pain of your brother's death. I certainly am not trying to tell you what to do, I just want to encourage you to continue everything you can to live as long and as healthy life as humanely possible.

These darned human bodies have expiration dates. Yet, I believe sometimes that programmed into "our time to go" is the knowledge and will to get tests, take preventive measures, and take care of these "perishable" containers we live in. We wouldn't leave milk on the counter and expect to drink it after weeks. We take measures to make it last as long as it can by putting it in the refrigerator or keeping it cool somehow. Still, it doesn't last forever, even in the fridge...even if we don't open it.

We are going to live as long as we live, but to quote a really bad movie, a spoof of Star Trek, "Never give up; never surrender."

With all respect and sincere hope that your grief will become manageable and that you will eventually find meaning in even this horrible, puzzling experience.

"Puddin"

prostate exam. Unfortunately the male macho personality kicked in and all I got was a "it can't happen to me" comment.

Now, here is another thing I don't understand about men. Men and bikes, since this is a bike forum.;) Why, WHY, WHY are men so reluctant to get prostate exams. There is that, but worse how can men delude themselves that prostate cancer can not happen to them. Prostate cancer is nearly completely preventable and even curable when caught early. I get so mad about this. At least get the PSA test.

I have seen too many men DIE from this, leaving grieving wives and children, when they could have done something to avoid death from prostate cancer.

I guess this is up there with people who refuse to stop smoking when we know irrefutably (did I spell that correctly:o that it leads to death.)

Yes, I'm ranting, but my husband has long, long history of prostate cancer in his family. I remind him every year and he gets the exam, but when I ask about it, I get the "Yeeessss" face. "Let's not even talk about it," as if I've asked him to drop his pants in public. Which, now that I think about it, men would be more agreeable to doing. A chance to show off.:lol:

My niece smokes and takes birth control. I know, TMI, but I have a point here. How can anyone ignoe this even companies trying to sell their drugs warn people about this connection in TV commercials? I'll have no one to leave my stuff too. She will die some kind of horrible death that could have been avoided with better health. People who smoke put themselves at risk for everything: cancer, emphysema, heart disease to name just the ones I can think of.

I'm 57 and trying to dodge everything.

Okay, I digress: What is it about men and prostate exams?

Grrrrrr.:bang:

+1 Test is no big deal, or even a small deal, it is really nothing.

Ditto to everyone who said the test is NBD. For me, the prep (liquid) was the most onerous. The test itself was a total non-event. No soreness or anything. Just woke up wondering when I was going to have the check... only to find out it was already a done deal. Clean bill of health too. Went in due to some bleeding associated with a BM. Docs says the blood comes from hemorrhoids. Sorry, tmi there.

Sad hearing about Tony Snow.

After my lung cancer adventure, I finally got around to having my first colonoscopy in late May. They decided the three polyps they took were of a type that were zero risk for cancer. I was glad to hear that.

I had one at 61 a bit over two years ago and they removed 5 pre cancerous polyps. It was followed up by anothr this year and they got 3 more. I am due again in 4 years and am going. Personally I highly reccomend the procedure. Sure as heck beats what I could be going through now.

my colonoscopy was such a non event that if i were doing it over again i would have had it at age 40.

would insurance have paid for it at age 40? maybe not as a "screening" test. but what if i had reported to my doctor that i was often seeing blood in my stool? that is an indication that is reimbursable.

and i would request fentanyl for conscious anesthesia.

If you're symptomatic, get checked, regardless of the age. The scary part is having the problem but no overt symptoms. Had a friend in his mid-40s develop colon cancer. By the time he became aware of it, it was too late to do anything. He lived about a year after the discovery of the problem.

Tony Snow's colon cancer was of a type that probably was not preventable with early colonoscopy. But the fact remains that almost all (90+%) colon cancer can be prevented with a colonoscopy that removes pre-cancerous polyps. That's what separates this disease and this test from other types of cancer. That's why all of us need to get the test, and we need to get others to have the test.

I absolutely do not subscribe to the idea that we will go when it's our "time" to go. That attitude is responsible for our appalling level of acceptance of preventable death. A 65-year old who dies of preventable colon cancer should have lived to 78, and seen another grandchild graduate from college, met his first great-grandchild, and enjoyed his 50th wedding anniversary, none of which he does when he dies a debilitating, lingering, and wholly preventable early death.

I have a colonoscopy scheduled for later this month. It will be my first. I'm looking forward to the drugs.:rolleyes:

Funny I should sign on tonight and find this thread. I spent my day accompanying my wife for this very procedure. So far, everything with her is OK.

I had my first colonoscopy almost three years ago. One polyp removed, and it was benign. They don't want to see me for another seven years.:)

A simple procedure. The prep may be the worst part. Both my wife and I don't remember a thing of the actual process. GET IT DONE!

Al

I had my first colonoscopy in January '07 (at age 51) as a result of failed treatments for an abscess. Polyps were found and removed. So, I'm on the 5 year plan.

The prep was uncomfortable. I don't remember the procedure at all.

In times like that, I try not to give up or become fatalistic that it doesn't matter what I do. I hope you won't give up, and will do things to take care of yourself. I hope I have not offended you with anything I've said. Only you can determine how to manage the pain of your brother's death. I certainly am not trying to tell you what to do, I just want to encourage you to continue everything you can to live as long and as healthy life as humanely possible.

With all respect and sincere hope that your grief will become manageable and that you will eventually find meaning in even this horrible, puzzling experience.

"Puddin"

Puddin:
I'd have to scratch hard to find anything in your post to which I might take offence . . . and, if I gave the impression that my own outlook on life had become fatalistic, I didn't mean to do so. I ride my bike on average around 3000 miles per year. As one who prefers to ride solo, I don't have a wide circle of friends my age who care to ride so avidly, but it does make me feel good mentally and physically. I do take my health seriously and get regular check-ups, including checks of my colon, prostate, and regular dental care (an area that, in my experience, too many of us treat as optional).

OTOH, in addition to my brother-in-law, I have watched a twin sister lose her battle against a combination of MS followed by Leukemia. Interestingly, chemo for the cancer gave my sister back two years free from the wheel chair as it somehow allowed renewed function of legs that had been paralysed for years.

I am certain my experience is not unique, nor am I alone in relating how a period of apparent recovery/improvement would falsely elevate our hopes only to have those hopes dashed when a sudden setback threatened to take my sister away.

In her final days, the disease asserted itself with rude authority. There would be no false hopes during this final session. The doctors gave up and simply told her to make certain her affairs were in order . . . there was nothing more that could be done.

Along the way, I had glimpses of medical brilliance, near medical malpractice and near fatal hospital errors, great moments with my sister and her ever-faithful husband, and days when I simply asked myself, "why her".

I know that all those glimpses are part of the human existence. The doctors did their best, my sister and her husband did their best, and, as the doctors relayed in the end, all that could be had been done, and it was her time to go.

My sister didn't smoke, do drugs, eat too much, too little, none of that. Her time on this earth was short.

My brother-in-law's time was longer, but still too short.

I will follow most of the contemporary advice that we accept as sensible medicine, but I will also exercise vigorously in an effort to keep whatever days I have left "young" days. If I have a choice, when I go, I'd sooner go suddenly and spare myself and my family the long drawn out agony that I witnessed as I watched two of my favorites die from cancer.

Thank you for your very sensitive post.

Caruso

Caruso's and Puddin's thoughtful posts (thoughtful posts? On the internet? On BF?) point up exactly the points I want to make. They are:

1. An ounce of prevention beats a ton of cure. That's true both for you and your loved ones. Prevention, in the form of exercise, healthy lifestyle, proper eating, colonoscopies, is the key. Prevention is usually much easier than a cure. If you are wise enough to understand this point, you must use your wisdom to enact positive, practical change on others. That's why you need to convince your friends and relatives to get the test.

2. Quality of life matters. My wife worries about my cycling, because it's dangerous to an extent. But I would rather die healthy on the front end of a pickup truck than curled up in bed wasted from cancer.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men, after lung cancer, and the third leading cause of death for women, after lung and breast cancers. About 10% of all cancer deaths are the result of colon cancer, and almost all of them are avoidable.



Uhh, where did you get your information that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men? According to the NCI, in 2005 the death rate for men per 100,000 was 24.6 for prostate cancer and 21 for colon and rectal cancer. Do you have later data than the NCI?

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women (and still people smoke!). Cancers of the lung and bronchus, prostate, and colon and rectum in men, and cancers of the lung and bronchus, breast, and colon and rectum in women continue to be the most common causes of cancer deaths. These four cancers account for more than half of the total cancer deaths among men and women. So does it really matter if it's 1, 2 or 3?

I am two years out from my colon cancer and am still cancer free (who hoo). I go in next month for my second post cancer surgery colonscopy. I have two colonscopies before surgery, the surgery, an exam after and one colonscopy since so I am an old hand at the prep. No way is fun - it just needs to get the job done. The most efficient way - ie - you will be clean - is Phospher Soda. It's about as nasty tasting a drink there is but it only takes, thank goodness, a small dose to get things moving. Something I learned that really helps, although the prep day you have to fast, the day before it's a good idea to also eat light, mostly liquids like soups and smoothies.

I have to go in every year for 5 years and if cancer free, can then go 5 years before another. :(

Uhh, where did you get your information that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men? According to the NCI, in 2005 the death rate for men per 100,000 was 24.6 for prostate cancer and 21 for colon and rectal cancer. Do you have later data than the NCI?

Oh, you got me bro. According to the American Cancer Society (http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/2008CAFFfinalsecured.pdf), 49,960 (24,260 men, 25,700 women) are predicted to die from colon cancer in 2008, 161,840 (90,810 men, 71,030 women) will die from lung cancer, 40,480 women will die from breast cancer, and 28,660 men will die from prostate cancer. That makes colon cancer second overall (after lung cancer) but third among men (after lung and prostate cancer) and third among women (after lung and breast cancer). I got my stats from a bad source, a presentation by a colon cancer researcher from the Mayo Clinic a couple of weeks ago.

The document linked above contains a wealth of data. Did you know that 450 men will die from breast cancer this year? 240 are predicted to die from eye cancer.

Did you know that 450 men will die from breast cancer this year?

and how many women will die of prostate cancer?:D

i read that about 30 times as much money is spent on breast cancer research as on prostate cancer research. but as your data shows, the death rates for both are high. i wonder why the disparity?

Okay, I digress: What is it about men and prostate exams?


I for one don't appreciate someone sticking their hand up my butt.

I do it to other people all the time, but I have the decency to sedate them first :lol:

Seriously, I would put a gun to your husband's head and make him get checked out.

And folks, remember that health care is like playing blackjack. Sometimes you CAN beat the house, but you might have to really work at it and count the cards to pick up a percentage point or two. Sometimes you just get dealt great cards, and sometimes your cards just flat out suck. But I hate to see people die because they were stupid.