Early Detection Offered at Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Inc.
Practical medicine begins with preventative tests. Ebenezer Medical Outreach is dedicated to early screening for Colorectal cancer with their FIT tests. The acronym “FIT” stands for Fecal Immunochemical Test. This is a non-invasive test specifically designed to find human blood in stool samples which can sometimes be an early warning sign for Colon or Rectal cancer.
The importance for offering early detection for colorectal cancer is necessary as it is the third most common diagnosed cancer in men and women across the United States. The death rates, however, are decreasing due to the increased screening for polyps which are removed before becoming cancerous. The statistics recorded for 2021 have been reported at 104,270 diagnosed with Colon cancer while Rectal cancer has 45,230 diagnoses. Of these combined cancers, there is an expected death rate statistic of 52,980 people.
In efforts to keep the numbers in our local region decreasing, Ebenezer Medical Outreach has been offering every patient who falls between 45 to 75 years-old a colonoscopy or FIT test. The results for FIT tests have proven more rapid as they depend on how fast the patients can return their tests. Return methods are available either by drop-off to Ebenezer Medical Outreach or all tests are supplied with a self-address stamped envelope to encourage patients to use mail return. Test results can sometimes be recorded within five minutes of a completed and returned FIT test.
If a patient tests positive on a returned FIT test, the next step is scheduling a colonoscopy where if a patient is uninsured, EMO is able to schedule them for a free colonoscopy. Along with understanding test results, there are also other warning signs patients can be aware of when considering Colorectal cancers.
Such early symptoms can include a noticeable change in bowels, blood in or on your stool, diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty all the way, abdominal pain, aches, or cramps that don’t go away, and losing weight without a reasonable explanation. Finding early detection before cancer has time to spread and create more life threatening potential is always a key component to treatment.
If you are patient at Ebenezer Medical Outreach and are between the ages 45 to 75 years-old, please call 304-529-0753 to inquire about getting your FIT test. For more information, you can visit us online at https://emohealth.org and follow us on Facebook by searching “Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Inc.”
