Medical Moment: New social media campaign aims to raise awareness on colon cancer

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) – A new social media campaign called “It’s Not Too Early to Know” is all about educating young Black men on the importance of knowing their family medical history when it comes to colorectal cancer.

“We’ve seen high rates of colorectal cancer incidents in Louisiana much higher than the rest of the U.S.,” said Louisiana Cancer Prevention and Control Co-Director Dr. Reni Elewonibi.

The American Cancer Society estimates over two thousand Louisianians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2025.

“We’re seeing people with colorectal cancer in their forties, thirties, even in their twenties, so if we can encourage people to start having these conversations sooner with their families, that’s what we want to inspire with this campaign,” said Elewonibi.

A simple conversation with your parents, grandparents, or siblings could reveal critical information like whether anyone in your family has had colon polyps or cancer.

“Colorectal cancer can absolutely be prevented by screening. The screening test and colonoscopy can detect polyps before they turn into cancer cells,” said Elewonibi.

The campaign is rolling out across the state, hoping to encourage action.

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