Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics sheds light on colon cancer
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Mark Smith said Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics found a polyp on his colon 15 years ago.
Cottage Hospital surgically removed the polyp and he’s been cancer free since.
“I’m more fortunate than a lot and most,” said Smith.
Colon cancer is on the rise nationwide and locally.
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance says that over 154,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer this year, making it the fourth most common cancer in the U.S.
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics says that getting screened is the first step to fighting the disease.
Symptoms of colon cancer can be subtle at first.
“Abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, either constipation or diarrhea. As things progress, fatigue and weight loss. But none of those things directly immediately point to colon cancer,” said Ceylon Ozkan, who has a nursing background and works in quality control for SBNC.
But on Santa Barbara’s Eastside preventative care is a luxury for many folks.
“Everybody does not have the same 24 hours in a day, especially our patient population, who may be working multiple jobs, who may not have child care, who don't have transportation, maybe they don't have sick time to be able to come into the office,” said Ozkan.
Colonoscopies are the gold standard for detecting colon cancer, but they can cost thousands of dollars.
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics is filling in the gaps.
Uninsured patients can now get a fecal test called a Cologuard for free.
“It's something you do every three years. That was not something that was available before. It's a $300 test and was super cost prohibitive,” said Ozkan.
If a patient has a positive stool test some patients can get a free colonoscopy through a partnership with Sansum Clinics.
The National Cancer Institute says roughly 10% of colorectal cancer are diagnosed before age 50.
The recommended age to begin having colonoscopies has recently dropped from 50 to 45.
