This month is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a time when employers can help their workforce better prepare to fight the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

“You need to keep your employees healthy and at work,” says March Seabrook, president of the South Carolina Medical Association and founder of the South Carolina Gastroenterological Association. “How many people will you have to take care of because they have had colon cancer? Probably not zero.”

Why care?

Colon cancer is a common disease. Colorectal cancer usually develops from small abnormal growths (polyps) in your colon.

In the U.S. every year there are about 140,000 diagnoses with 50,000 deaths. South Carolina sees about 2,100 diagnoses and 800 deaths from the disease.

Colon cancer often goes undetected because the individual may not feel any symptoms until it’s too late. That is why regular screenings are so important. Doctors will find one precancerous polyp in about every three people who are screened, Seabrook says.

For employers, think about colon cancer in terms of a cost savings, Seabrook says. The cost of cancer depends on the stage it is detected — hospitalizations and surgery or radiation and chemotherapy versus the cost of a routine colonoscopy.

With a routine colonoscopy, precancerous polyps can be detected and removed before turning into cancer.

“The goal with colon cancer is prevention, and that’s what we can do,” he says.

Who is at risk?

“Colon cancer does not discriminate,” Seabrook says. Colon cancer is the third deadliest cancer for both men and women (second deadliest overall) with about 5 percent of the population developing the disease.

The most important risk-factor, though, is age. That is why at the age of 50 everyone should consider a colonoscopy, Seabrook says.

What can be done?

“The colonoscopy is the gold standard,” he says. “It is an unbelievably strong test.”

During a colonoscopy, a thin lighted tube is used to look inside the colon and rectum. During the procedure, precancerous polyps can be identified and removed. Most will say the worst part of the procedure is the prep. The test is performed generally as outpatient while you are sedated.

The first colonoscopy is the most important one. Once you’ve had a clear colonoscopy, the recommendations from medical professionals don’t suggest another one for 10 years.

“A colonoscopy is the baseline and then you talk with your physician about what is best for you after that, Seabrook says. “Have one and then you can strategize from there.”

There are other screening options as well, including fecal occult blood tests (gFOBT or FIT).

Whatever screening method is used, it is important to know that when colon cancer is found early, the survival rate can be as high as 90 percent.

How can I help?

The big question employers may ask is how they can help with cancer prevention in the workplace.

Educate

Follow Katie Couric’s example and educate your employees about the disease and the risk of not getting screened. The famous journalist became the most vocal spokesperson for colon cancer awareness after her first husband died from the disease in 1998 at the age of 42. More information about recommendations from doctors can be found at Choosing Wisely, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation.

Tell employees to get screenings

The No. 1 thing people can do to prevent colon cancer is have the appropriate screenings, Seabrook says. That means after the age of 50, everyone should have one colonoscopy. (There’s some data that if colon cancer is in your family history, you should be screened at 45, Seabrook says.) Employers can urge older employees to have these regular screenings, about once every 10 years for someone of average risk. Because of these screenings the prevalence is trending down, he says.

Encourage healthy behavior

Follow the simple rules your mother always told you: eat right and exercise. There is some evidence that diets are a factor in colon cancer, Seabrook says. Smoking and obesity can also put a person more at risk, he says. Employers can help build healthy work environments for employees and encourage workers to live healthier lives overall.