March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: What to Know
Piedmont Oncology highlights risk factors, symptoms, prevention, and treatment.
Cartersville, GA (March 5, 2025)— March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Piedmont Cartersville wants to educate people about the disease and what you can do to decrease your risk of developing it or enable an earlier, more curable diagnosis.
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States. More than half of all colorectal cancers can be linked to preventable risk factors like body weight, lack of physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and diet.
The American Cancer Society recommends that people start regular screenings at age 45 and continue until age 75. People at high risk based on family history or other factors should start before age 45. Not all colorectal cancer cases can be prevented, but there are ways to lower your risk.
"Regular screenings, such as colonoscopies or at-home test kits as recommended by your primary care provider, are essential," advised Mark Senger, D.O., Chief Medical Officer at Piedmont Cartersville. "Adopting healthy habits like regular exercise, a balanced diet, reducing alcohol intake, and quitting smoking or tobacco use can significantly improve your health."
Many colorectal cancers do not cause symptoms in early stages, so it can be difficult to detect without screenings. Common signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, change in bowel habits or stool appearance, stomach cramping or pain, poor appetite, and unexplained weight loss or weakness.
"Innovative colorectal cancer treatments vary based on several factors and may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation therapy," explains Dr. Senger. "At Piedmont Cartersville, our specialists are dedicated to supporting patients during their time of need with a high-quality cancer treatment plan."
Visit Piedmont.org/cancer for more information about cancer care and supportive services at Piedmont.
About Piedmont
Piedmont is empowering Georgians by changing health care. We continue to fuel Georgia’s growth through safe, high-quality care close to home through an integrated health care system that provides a hassle-free, unified experience. We are a private, not-for-profit organization with more than 12,000 donors annually that for centuries has sought to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. Across our 1,755 physical locations we care for more than 4 million patients and serve communities that comprise 85 percent of Georgia’s population. This includes 26 hospitals, 75 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 QuickCare locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and nearly 3,600 Piedmont Clinic members. Our patients conveniently engage with Piedmont online, as they scheduled more than 612,000 online appointments and over 163,000 virtual visits. With more than 47,000 care givers we are the largest Georgia-based private employer of Georgians, who all came for the job, but stayed for the people. In 2024 and 2023, Piedmont has earned recognition from Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and also as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women. In 2022, Forbes ranked Piedmont on its list of the Best Large Employers in the United States. In addition, Piedmont provided nearly $390 million in community benefit programming and uncompensated care in Fiscal Year 2023.
For more information, or booking your next appointment, visit piedmont.org.
