'Papa Jonas' Beats Cancer; Colon Cancer Awareness Month
- Kevin “Papa” Jonas, father of the musical trio the Jonas Brothers, beat colon cancer and is a role model for survivors everywhere as he remains an outspoken advocate of the disease.
- In March 2017, the famous brothers learned their father, Kevin Sr., had been diagnosed with colon cancer at just 52 years old. He had surgery and chemotherapy to treat it, and then entered into remission after treatment.
- The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates there will be approximately 106,180 new cases of colon cancer this year. Common treatments for colon cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Papa Jonas is the father to the hugely successful musical trio, the Jonas Brothers. He continues to be an outspoken advocate for screening for colon cancer, along with other people in the public eye, like Sharon Osbourne and more.
Papa Jonas’s Cancer Battle
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Since family history plays a big part in one's risk for colon cancer, their father's battle means they need to be vigilant about screening for the disease. Doctors recommend that people with a family history should start being screened ten years earlier than the age at which their family member was diagnosed, meaning the brothers should start being screened at 42. The screening age for someone with no family history or other risk factors is 45.
Since his recovery, Kevin Sr. has become a national spokesperson for the advocacy group Fight Colorectal Cancer while continuing to support his sons through their musical careers and personal lives.
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We love to see this kind of loving support from cancer survivors towards their families.
Screening for Colon Cancer
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates there will be approximately 106,180 new cases of colon cancer this year. Common treatments for colon cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Screening for colon cancer is done via colonoscopy which looks for polyps small, white, potentially pre-cancerous growths on the colon. 95% of polyps could turn into cancer. So, when one is detected during a colonoscopy, the doctor will send it to a lab to be examined as to whether or not it is precancerous.
The ACS recommends that people with an average risk of the disease meaning, no family history of colon cancer or no personal history of inflammatory bowel disease start regular screening at age 45.
Getting Cleaned Out for a Colonoscopy
Former SurvivorNet reporter Reid Champlin contributed to this article.
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