WXXV & Fred’s Pharmacy Partner to Raise Colon Cancer Awareness

As the nation marks the 16th Annual Colorectal Awareness Month in March, Fred’s Pharmacy and WXXV 25 are raising awareness.

The third most common cause of cancer death in the United States is largely preventable. The American Cancer Society estimates that this year over 49,000 people in the United States will die of the disease. That’s why Fred’s Pharmacy and WXXV 25 have partnered to give away free screening kits up until March 31st. You can pick up your free kit at Fred’s Pharmacy.

Dr. Alva Dillon, digestive health doctor, says, "Well it’s very important to be screened, particularly people over the age of 50 because of the increase of the chances of colon cancer. The reason we start screening at the age of 50 is because polyps usually start developing at that time, and at about 65, you may have colon cancer. So the idea is if you remove the polyps at an early stage, you basically prevent the polyp cancer sequence."

For more information about colorectal cancer, you can visit www.cancer.org.