Raising Awareness
- Katie Couric made it her mission to advocate for early detection of colon cancer after losing her husband Jay Monahan to the disease in 1997, just 9 months after his diagnosis at age 42.
- While working at the Today show in 2000, the award-winning journalist, 67, made history as the first person to get a colonoscopy on live TV. Shortly after, colonoscopy appointments increased around the United States by 20%, which was coined the “Katie Couric Effect.”
- The recommended age to begin screening for colon cancer is 45, but if you have a family history, your doctor may advise you to get checked sooner. Schedule your appointment today.
While working at the Today show in 2000, the award-winning journalist, 67, made history as the first person to get a colonoscopy on live TV.
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Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
March 1 officially kicks off Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (cancer that begins in the colon or rectum), so it’s time to put a spotlight on Couric’s work of encouraging people to get in for their screenings and educate more on the disease. With their various platforms and number of followers, celebrities and public figures like Couric help get the message out.
After beloved Cheers actress Kirstie Alley died in December 2022 from colon cancer, Couric told PEOPLE the following year she was “heartbroken” to hear the news and couldn’t help but wonder if she had been screened.
Colon Cancer: Introduction to Prevention and Screening
“I think it just highlights the importance of getting screened when you’re 45, and following your doctor’s recommendations in terms of how often you should be screened.”
Couric says her overall goal is to share how “early detection is everything,” and to spread the message that if people did their yearly screenings, a large number of cases could be avoided.
“It’s one of the few cancers that you can nip in the bud,” she says. “And if you have a polyp, it can be removed. Even if it’s cancerous and hasn’t penetrated the colon wall and gone into the lymph nodes, it can be cured quite easily. I think there’s an over 90% cure rate if it’s detected at its early stages.”
Screening Guidelines for Colon Cancer
The recommended age to begin screening for colon cancer is 45. However, research is pointing to a concerning increase of younger people getting diagnosed with colorectal cancer. As mentioned, Couric’s husband died at 42, and Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer at 43 in 2020.
RELATED: Chadwick Boseman’s Posthumous Oscar Nomination Helps Raise More Awareness for Colon Cancer Screening
“Chadwick is one of the people who I think his death has really highlighted the fact that more and more young people were dying of this disease, because when he was diagnosed, it was way before the recommended age for screening,” Couric continued in her interview with PEOPLE. “Similarly, with Jay, my husband, he was diagnosed at 41.”
“And I often think if he had been screened at, gosh, even 40 or even 39 or 38, could we [have] found this? And, with a simple procedure or with a colonoscopy, saved his life? So it just doesn’t have to happen,” said the Stand Up To Cancer co-founder, who married John Molner in 2014.
Colon cancer is almost completely preventable with screening, but according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1/3 of adults are not getting the recommended screening.
Get More Comfortable Discussing Bowel Movements
Many people are uncomfortable discussing bowel movements and anxious about the prospect of a colonoscopy, which may lead them to ignore symptoms.
“You shouldn’t die from embarrassment,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, said in an earlier interview with SurvivorNet.
However, a person should never feel guilty after being diagnosed with cancer. There are many doctors, like Dr. Murrell, who believe it’s necessary to rattle the cages to make people aware of the critical importance of screening, especially among some population groups who are at higher risk for the disease.
‘You Shouldn’t Die From Embarrassment’: Colon Cancer Can Be Prevented
Explaining symptoms, Dr. Paul Oberstein, medical oncologist and assistant director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet “the most common sign of colon cancer is a change in bowel habits.”
“That could range from constipation or diarrhea to changes in the size or shape of bowel movements,” Dr. Oberstein explained. “You could also notice a change in stool color, particularly black or tarry stools, which can indicate bleeding from a tumor deep in the colon.”
Even if you have zero symptoms and feel completely healthy, it’s critical to get in and get checked. Schedule your appointment today.
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