Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: A Preventable Cancer That Still Takes Too Many Lives. A Deeply Personal Perspective.

Owner & Director, HormoneSynergy® Clinic
Portland, Oregon • Lake Oswego • USA

A Personal Story Behind Colorectal Cancer Awareness

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and for me this topic is deeply personal.

My father was born in January of 1935. He lived through extraordinary times and belonged to a generation marked by resilience, duty, and quiet endurance.

Shortly after high school my father joined the United States Air Force and proudly served our country during the Korean War. He was stationed in both Japan and Guam. He was very proud of his military service. 

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My father died on Veterans Day in 2020. The day before my birthday.

He passed away from respiratory distress (respiratory failure or acute respiratory distress syndrome) as a direct result of metastatic colon cancer.

Like many families, we were left with painful questions afterward. One of the biggest was this: Why was it not found earlier?

Why he never had a colonoscopy, I do not know for sure. Maybe it was never emphasized. Maybe it was delayed. Maybe it simply belonged to an era when prevention was not talked about the way it should have been. Many men avoid the procedure due to internalized shame or fear about the procedure itself. Others believe they are somehow immune or don't trust the medical establishment or 'don't believe in testing'.

What ever the reason is for some, we do know one thing for sure:

Colon cancer is most often preventable.

In many cases, screening does not just detect disease. It helps stop it before it starts.

Why Colon Cancer Is Often Preventable

Most colorectal cancers do not appear overnight. They typically develop slowly over many years.

They often begin as polyps, which are small abnormal growths inside the colon or rectum. Some polyps remain harmless, but others can gradually change and become cancerous over time.

This is why colonoscopy is so important. A screening colonoscopy can detect these polyps early and remove them before cancer develops.

That makes colonoscopy one of the few screening tools in medicine that can both:

• detect cancer early
• prevent cancer by removing precancerous polyps

In some cases, getting screened for colon cancer by having a colonoscopy is, in effect, the cure itself because the dangerous polyp is removed before it has the chance to become something far worse.

The Concerning Rise of Colon Cancer in Younger Adults

Colorectal cancer is no longer thought of only as a disease of older adults. Rates have been rising in younger adults, which is one reason this disease has drawn so much concern nationally.

Possible contributors to rising early-onset colon cancer include disruptions in metabolic health, poor diet quality, sedentary lifestyle, and changes in the gut microbiome.

At HormoneSynergy®, we frequently see these same drivers behind multiple chronic diseases—from colon cancer risk to cardiovascular disease—which is why prevention must address the entire metabolic system.

• Obesity and metabolic dysfunction
• Ultra-processed diets
• Disruptions in gut microbiome health
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Chronic inflammation
• Environmental exposures

These same drivers strongly overlap with conditions we evaluate through preventive cardiology, including:

• cardiovascular disease
• type 2 diabetes
• metabolic syndrome

That overlap matters. Colon cancer prevention should not be viewed in isolation. It should be viewed through the broader lens of inflammation, metabolism, body composition, insulin resistance, and long-term disease prevention.

The HormoneSynergy® Perspective on Prevention

At HormoneSynergy®, we practice evidence-based preventive longevity medicine.

That means we try to identify risk earlier, intervene earlier, and help patients understand the patterns that lead to chronic disease years before symptoms become impossible to ignore.

From our perspective, colon cancer prevention fits naturally into a larger prevention model that includes:

• routine age-appropriate screening
• optimization of metabolic health
• anti-inflammatory nutrition
• weight and visceral fat management, sometimes supported by our GLP-1 weight loss program
• exercise and muscle-preserving lifestyle strategies
• support for gut and digestive health
• sleep and circadian rhythm optimization

The same lifestyle patterns that improve healthspan and reduce cardiometabolic risk may also help lower colon cancer risk. Prevention is rarely about a single magic solution. It is usually about stacking the right habits, the right evaluations, and the right screenings over time.

When Should You Get a Colonoscopy?

For many adults, screening now begins at age 45.

Some individuals may need earlier screening, especially if they have:

• a family history of colorectal cancer
• a personal history of colon polyps
• inflammatory bowel disease
• certain inherited cancer syndromes
• concerning symptoms that require evaluation

The right timing should always be individualized with a licensed medical professional, but the bigger message is simple: waiting for symptoms is often the wrong strategy.

Symptoms Can Be Silent Until Disease Is Advanced

One of the reasons colorectal cancer is so dangerous is that it may cause no obvious symptoms in its early stages.

When symptoms do appear, they can include:

• changes in bowel habits
• blood in the stool
• unexplained iron deficiency or anemia
• persistent abdominal discomfort
• unintended weight loss
• fatigue or weakness

But the goal of screening is not to wait for these warning signs. The goal is to find risk before symptoms ever appear.

Why This Awareness Month Matters

Awareness months can sometimes feel symbolic, but this one matters.

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is a reminder that many cases of colon cancer are detectable early and many are preventable. It is a reminder that prevention is not abstract. It is practical. It is measurable. And in some families, it can be life-saving.

If sharing my father’s story prompts even one person to stop delaying a screening they have been putting off, that matters.

Preventive medicine is not only about extending life. It is also about reducing unnecessary suffering, catching disease earlier, and protecting families from losses that might have been avoidable.

A Simple Step That Can Save Lives

If you are over 45 and have not been screened, consider speaking with your physician about colon cancer screening. Preventive medicine is most powerful when disease risk is identified early through screening, metabolic evaluation, and proactive lifestyle optimization.

Colonoscopy is not glamorous. It is not exciting. But it may be one of the most important preventive decisions a person makes.

Sometimes the most powerful medical intervention is the one that prevents disease before it ever begins.