At 52, Tami Mahrt was two years past the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening.
Though she considered herself healthy, she finally went in for her colonoscopy and awoke from the routine procedure with shocking news. Doctors spotted a 4.5 centimeter growth in her colon and said they’d need to remove it with surgery.
Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon (large intestine) and rectum. Of cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Multnomah County and across the nation, Colorectal Cancer in Multnomah County (652.69 KB) according to the Multnomah County Health Department.
Colorectal cancer screening, including a colonoscopy, finds abnormal growths called polyps in the colon before they can turn into cancer. Screening also helps find colorectal cancer at an early stage, when treatment often leads to a cure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends regular colorectal cancer screening for those 50 to 75 years of age.
After turning 50, Mahrt knew she was due for a colonoscopy, a procedure where a long, flexible tube with a tiny camera at the end is inserted into the rectum and used to view the inside of the entire colon. Like many people, she put off scheduling the procedure.
Mahrt says she felt she had no reason to worry. She had always been healthy. At that time, she was a senior associate for Mercer, an international human resources consulting firm, and she hadn’t taken a sick day in eight years. She had yearly physicals and there was no indication that there was any problem at all. She was confident she didn’t need to be screened.
Peer pressure helped her finally make an appointment when she was 52.
“I was having a glass of wine with some girlfriends and one of them asked each one of us if we’d had our colonoscopies yet,” Mahrt says. So, she scheduled hers.
After her colonoscopy, Mahrt was diagnosed with Stage 1 colorectal cancer. The cancer was self-contained and hadn’t yet spread to surrounding tissue. Her surgeon was able to remove all the cancerous tissue and she did not require chemotherapy or radiation. Because her type of cancer can grow back quickly, her follow-up care has required exams every three months for a two-year period and a colonoscopy each year. She has recently graduated to an exam once each year and a colonoscopy every three years.
“It was a miracle that I went in when I did,” Mahrt says. “I’ve had two doctors tell me that I would not be alive today if they hadn’t found and removed the cancer when they did.”
But nearly one-third of all people between 50 and 75 years of age are not up to date on colorectal cancer screening, the CDC reports. Those least likely to have been screened include men, Hispanics, American Indian/Native Alaska Natives, and those living in more rural areas, a 2012 CDC report states. The CDC also states that recommended screenings could prevent up to 60 percent of all deaths from colorectal cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, most colorectal cancers occur in people without a family history of colorectal cancer. Still, as many as one in five people who develop colorectal cancer have other family members who have been affected by this disease. People with a history of colorectal cancer in one or more first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, or children) are at increased risk.
Mahrt says she had a biological aunt who died of colorectal cancer, but she never considered that as adding to her risk. Mahrt says because of this increased risk, her son, Matthew Conrad, will need to be screened once he turns 40 in six years.
“I’m happy to tell my story, because I wouldn’t be here without having had my colonoscopy,” Mahrt says. She adds that the colonoscopy was a “piece of cake” compared to the surgery and follow-up tests, “none of which are pleasant.”
“We can change colorectal cancer rates by having our routine colonoscopies,” she says. “If I can affect just one person, it will be good.”
For more information:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Colorectal Cancer webpage