[[{"@type":["BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/colon-cancer-trends-nj-important-statistics-steps-can-take-conversation-rccas-dr-bhavesh-balar\/#BlogPosting","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":["https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/colon-cancer-trends-nj-important-statistics-steps-can-take-conversation-rccas-dr-bhavesh-balar\/","https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/colon-cancer-trends-nj-important-statistics-steps-can-take-conversation-rccas-dr-bhavesh-balar\/"],"publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/colon-cancer-trends-nj-important-statistics-steps-can-take-conversation-rccas-dr-bhavesh-balar\/#BlogPosting_author_Organization","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates"}],"inLanguage":"en-US","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/colon-cancer-trends-nj-important-statistics-steps-can-take-conversation-rccas-dr-bhavesh-balar\/#BlogPosting_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Bhavesh-Balar.jpg"}],"headline":"Colon Cancer Trends in NJ: Important Statistics and Steps You Can Take: A Conversation with RCCA\u2019s Dr. Bhavesh Balar","dateModified":"2021-11-11T14:52:30+00:00","datePublished":"2018-05-15T17:04:35+00:00","description":"Learn about the declining colon cancer diagnosis rates in New Jersey, and how early detection is influencing these trends.","articleBody":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMay 15, 2018\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\nIdentifying a positive health trend for NJ residents, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports both the incidence and death rate of colon cancer have decreased about 3% in recent years. As one of the most common types of cancer in both men and women, this downward trend brings hope for survivors, families and newly diagnosed patients alike. Dr. Bhavesh Balar, an oncology and hematology specialist at RCCA Monmouth in New Jersey, describes some of the factors contributing to colon cancer diagnoses and strategies to help individuals lower their risk even more.\nThe primary reason for declining rates, Dr. Balar cites, is that there are better treatment options available to colon cancer patients than there were historically. \u201cIn my fellowship 10-12 years [ago], I think we had three or four drugs that we could use to treat colon cancer,\u201d he explains, \u201cnow, I believe we have seven.\u201d\nNot only is cancer medication improving in quality and prevalence, but so are supplemental drugs. Even though chemotherapy is often the standard of care for treating colon cancer, it can cause a host of unpleasant side effects. Improvements in supportive drugs, however, help patients tolerate the side effects better than ever before.\nWhile it\u2019s still not known why some patients are more likely to get colon cancer than others, especially as it pertains to varied rates in men and women, Dr. Balar notes that it may be due to differences in diet \u2013 particularly red meat intake \u2013 and a willingness to get screened.\nEven so, the 3% decrease is helping patients see real results. \u201cThe average survival for metastatic colon cancer used to be 12 months. It\u2019s now 2-1\/2 years \u2013 so people are living significantly longer, even with Stage IV colon cancer,\u201d Dr. Balar says.\nThe Importance Of Early Detection\nIn addition to innovative treatments, a critical component of successfully preventing, treating and beating colon cancer is early detection. The earlier a patient is diagnosed, the more likely they are to survive. On the other hand, patients who are diagnosed with distant stages \u2013 when the cancer has grown and\/or metastasized \u2013 may only have about a 13% chance of survival, according to information compiled by the American Cancer Society.\nBecause colon cancer is known for its slow development \u2013 growth typically occurs over a 10- to 20-year period \u2013 there is a large window in which preventative screenings can take place. An average person should go for their first colonoscopy around age 50, says Dr. Balar. However, your medical and family history may put you at an increased risk for developing colon cancer. If so, Dr. Balar explains, your gastroenterologist may recommend you get checked earlier and more frequently than the average patient.\nDuring a colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist may be able to detect and remove polyps, which are noncancerous growths. However, if the growths are not removed, they may eventually develop into colon cancer. That\u2019s why patients should always make it a priority to go for their colonoscopy. By removing these polyps, you are taking a major step toward preventing colon cancer, explains Dr. Balar.\nAnother reason why screenings are so important is because colon cancer often presents with few or no symptoms. Dr. Balar recommends checking your stool for blood or perhaps going for a DNA test. Even so, you should not wait for the symptoms to appear; always go for your regular screenings.\nGet The Care You Need\nOverall, Dr. Balar believes that increased screening and awareness of colon cancer have helped improve survival rates and may continue to do so in the future. This, combined with tireless research and dedicated care, can hopefully maintain that 3% decline and potentially lower the incidence and death rates even more.\nwe are here for you\nFor more information or to schedule an appointment, call 844-346-7222. You can also schedule an appointment by calling the RCCA location nearest you.\nRELATED ARTICLES\nRegional Cancer Care Associates is one of fewer than 200 medical practices in the country selected to participate in the Oncology Care Model (OCM); a recent Medicare initiative aimed at improving care coordination and access to and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy treatment.\n\u00a9 2022 Regional Cancer Care Associates. All rights reserved.","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/colon-cancer-trends-nj-important-statistics-steps-can-take-conversation-rccas-dr-bhavesh-balar\/"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"LocalBusiness","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Corporate Office 25 Main Street, Suite 601","postalCode":"07601","addressRegion":"NJ","addressLocality":"Hackensack","addressCountry":"USA","name":"Postal Address","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/#PostalAddress"},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"1024","height":"468","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"contactPoint":[{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Corporate Office Regional Cancer Care Associates 25 Main Street, Suite 601 Hackensack, NJ 07601 info@regionalcancercare.org Phone: (844) 346-7222","name":"Contact Corporate Office","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#CorporateOffice"},{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (201) 510-0922","email":"msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Media Inquiries: Mary Lou Salvemini Regional Cancer Care Associates Phone: (201) 510-0922 Email: msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","name":"Contact Media Inquiries","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#MediaInquiries"}],"areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Treatment_of_cancer","alternateName":"RCCA","description":"Leaders in Advanced Compassionate Cancer Care. Fight cancer with leading-edge treatments, experienced skill and local caring\/convenience from one of the nation's largest networks of cancer specialists.","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/rgnlcancercare","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/regionalcancercareassoc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/10059183","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCFlVzU4UvZcyXBCe9ZSvAUQ"],"telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Colon Cancer Trends in NJ: Important Statistics and Steps You Can Take: A Conversation with RCCA\u2019s Dr. Bhavesh Balar","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/colon-cancer-trends-nj-important-statistics-steps-can-take-conversation-rccas-dr-bhavesh-balar\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]