Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S., yet it is one of the most treatable and preventable when caught early. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says if everyone 50 and older were screened, as many as 60 percent of the deaths could be prevented.

So what gives?

Local doctors say a combination of ignorance, cost, and reluctance keep people from getting checked as recommended.

Dr. Jason Stangl, a gastroenterologist with the Gastroenterology Associates of Colorado Springs, said studies have shown one of the most common reasons people don't get screened is that they simply don't know they should be. Insurance companies generally pay for colonoscopies for anyone 50 and older, which is the recommended guideline for getting them done. Some people younger than 50 are also approved for screenings when there are risk factors such as a family history of colon cancer. Yet, in Colorado, just about half of people 50 and older with insurance are getting screened, Stangl said.

Local health care providers are trying to get the message out. March is colon cancer awareness month, and Penrose-St. Francis Health Services recently held an educational event on colon cancer. Area health care providers have also formed a group, the Colorado Springs Colorectal Screening Initiative, aimed at finding ways to improve public awareness.

Awareness alone, though, won't help some people who struggle to pay for the procedure, which is typically a few thousand dollars. Only about 20 percent of people in Colorado without insurance get screened, Stangl said. The recession and rising unemployment are driving more people into the ranks of the uninsured. And soaring health care costs are forcing many people into a category known as the underinsured, in which someone has a high-deductible plan for catastrophic events that is largely useless for preventive care or routine doctors' visits.

Some people simply don't like doctors' offices or the procedure itself, which involves taking a laxative to clean out the colon before the procedure, getting sedated, and having someone drive you home afterward.

Whatever the reasons, health care experts say the potential benefit outweighs any excuse.

"When you pick it up early it is very treatable and highly curable," said Dr. James Young, an oncologist with the Penrose Cancer Center. "Surgery cures it 90 percent of the time."

The CDC reported more than 54,000 U.S. men and women died of colorectal cancer in 2005, the latest statistics available. More than 32,000 might have been prevented with screening, based on its 60 percent estimate.

Although there are other ways to screen for colon cancer, the colonoscopy remains the gold standard. The procedure can detect and remove precancerous polyps, and it is the most thorough in spotting trouble spots early.

Despite colon cancer's prevalence and the lack of people getting screened, the news isn't all bad. The American Cancer Society reports that incidents and deaths have gone down in recent years.

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