By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Cattaraugus County.
In the four-year period between 2016 and 2020, an average 38.8 county residents were diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year.
During the same time period, there were an average of 14.2 deaths per year — 6.8 men and 7.4 women.
That compares to the 1976-1980 period when an average 59 people were diagnosed with colorectal; cancer a year — 27 men and 32 women — and 31.2 people died each year from cancer of the colon or rectum — 15 men and 16.2 women.
In a report to the Cattaraugus County Board of Health earlier this month, Public Health Director Dr. Kevin D. Watkins noted that also during that time, 68.8% of men and women ages 50-64 had been screened for colon cancer — the gold standard being a colonoscopy.
During the same time period, Allegany County reported 42 incidences of colorectal cancer and 17 deaths, while Chautauqua County had 34 incidences and 11 deaths.
Watkins regularly briefs the Board of Health on the statistics during March, which is Colorectal Cancer Month.
Early detection is the key to diagnosing and treating colorectal cancer, Watkins emphasized. Cattaraugus County’s screening rate during the period was 68.8%, which was above the state Health Department’s target of 66.3%.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death of men and women combined after lung cancer in Cattaraugus County. The highest number of incidences of cancer in the county in men is prostate cancer and in women it is breast cancer.
Statewide, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in New York, followed by prostate cancer, lung and colorectal cancers.
Cattaraugus County has come a long way since the 1976-1980 period when there was a rate of 71.9 cases of colorectal cancer per 100,000 and an average of 31.2 deaths a year — 15 men and 16.2 women.
By 2016-2020, the incidence of colorectal cancer had dropped to 27 men and 32 women, with an average of 6.8 deaths a year among men and 7.4 deaths per year among women.
Regular screenings to detect cancer early will continue to drive down colorectal cancer death rates in the county, Watkins said.
Risk factors for colorectal cancers include age, family history and hereditary conditions, personal health history, obesity, physical inactivity and diet.
Some of the symptoms can include a change in bowel habits, rectal tenesmus, fatigue, weight loss, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding/blood in stool and iron deficiency/anemia.
To reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, Watkins said a diet low in animal fats and high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is best. Increasing physical activity, keeping a healthy weight, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding tobacco also reduces the risk.
The answer, Watkins said, is “to get tested.”
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