Fight the Factors

Test your risk for colon cancer with this free quiz from Methodist Health System

Regular screenings can catch polyps before they turn into colon cancer.

Photo by Siri Stafford/Getty Images

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and turns out there's quite a lot to be aware of when it comes to managing your risk factors.

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 23 (4.4 percent) for men and 1 in 25 (4.1 percent) for women.

Younger adults can develop colorectal cancer, but the chances increase markedly after age 50 — that's when more than 9 out of 10 people are diagnosed.

Methodist Health System has a free risk assessment so you can see if you might be susceptible, and what you can do now to help minimize your chances of developing the disease.

In the meantime, be aware of the common risk factors:

Being overweight. Obesity raises the risk of colon cancer in both men and women, but the link seems to be stronger in men.
Family history. As many as 1 in 5 people who develop colorectal cancer have other family members who have been affected by this disease.
Heavy alcohol use. Colorectal cancer has been linked to the heavy use of alcohol. At least some of this may be due to the fact that heavy alcohol users tend to have low levels of folic acid in the body. Still, alcohol use should be limited to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.
Sedentary lifestyle. If you are not physically active, you have a greater chance of developing colorectal cancer. Increasing activity may help reduce your risk.
Type 2 diabetes. Both type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer share some of the same risk factors (such as excess weight). But even after taking these into account, people with type 2 diabetes still have an increased risk. They also tend to have a less favorable outlook after diagnosis.
Race. African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates of all racial groups in the United States. The reasons for this are not yet understood.

A polyp can take as many as 10 to 15 years to develop into cancer. With regular screenings, doctors can find and remove polyps before they have the chance to turn into cancer.

Once you take Methodist Health System's free risk assessment, you can opt to receive a personalized report with information about your health, periodic health-related e-mails, and an opportunity to speak with a member of Methodist's physician referral team.

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Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

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