Wednesday, May 22, 2024–9:27 a.m.

-News Release-

Atrium Health Floyd will sponsor free colon and lung cancer screenings on Thursday, May 23, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Charles Hight Community Room and Courtyard off North Fifth Avenue behind Publix.

The event will be open to the public as well as residents of the Rome Housing Authority. There is no charge, registration is not required, and door prizes will be awarded.

The fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) that will be used in the colon screening will be provided by the Northwest Georgia Regional Cancer Coalition. Those tests are not as thorough as a colonoscopy, but require no preparation and can detect hidden blood in feces.

Colon cancer and lung cancer screenings are effective tools in the early detection and prevention of potentially deadly illnesses.

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that adults aged 45 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) says many of the risk factors for colon cancer can be lowered by better health choices, including:

• Eating less red meat
• Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• Limiting your alcohol consumption

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that lung cancer is the third-most common cancer in the United States. More people in the U.S. die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. This is true for both men and women. The overwhelming majority of lung cancer cases are the result of cigarette smoking.

About 234,580 new cases of lung cancer (116,310 in men and 118,270 in women) are expected to be reported this year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Deaths from lung cancer are predicted at 125,070 nationwide – 65,790 in men and 59,280 in women.

Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., accounting for about 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined, the ACS has reported.

For more information about Thursday’s event call Dorian Buford at 706-509-5983.