"It's my 47th birthday today, so I kicked off the celebration last week with the funnest thing someone my age can gift themselves: A colonoscopy! Colorectal cancer was the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. last year - and the toll is now skewing younger. Since 2021, the official recommendation has been to get screened starting at age 45 instead of 50, whether it's an at-home test or a full-on camera where the sun don't shine."
"The stats are even worse when it comes to people in my age range: only 9% of Mexican Americans between 45 and 49 have checked in on our colons, compared with 20% of our white peers. The American Cancer Society cites "structural racism, a higher likelihood of poverty and language barriers." The reason why I delayed was more straightforward: Por pendejo."
A 47-year-old Mexican American man underwent a colonoscopy after postponing recommended screening. Colorectal cancer was the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., and incidence is shifting younger, prompting screening from age 45. Screening rates for Mexican American men lag: 46% up-to-date overall and only 9% among ages 45–49, versus 60% of white men and 61% of Puerto Ricans. The American Cancer Society cites structural racism, higher poverty likelihood and language barriers. Personal delays stemmed from complacency, competing work priorities, perceived low risk, and family cancer experiences; the individual summarized the delay bluntly as "Por pendejo."
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]